BAU Family Fun and Fear
by katieblackusa
Summary: Finally getting their act together, Derek and Penelope finally admit how they feel about each other. But, what happens when someone from Garcia's past returns and threatens to destroy her life and possibly Derek's?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I know I have an on-going story "My Life With You" right now and I'm so sorry for not updating. I was without internet for the past couple of months and I had no way to do so. I forgotten where I left off so I started a new story. My muse is all on this story right now so as soon as I am finished I will update the other. Please forgive me! My finacial situation got messy and that's why I didn't have the internet. Anywho, I hope you like this one! xoxo - katieblackusa (: **

Derek Morgan loved Penelope Garcia. Penelope Garcia loved Derek Morgan. Everyone knew of the love that they had for each other but it seemed like the only two who were not aware of it was Derek and Penelope themselves. From the day he called her Gomez and the first time he called her baby girl, the love was there. Of course, he was a player. He was the epidemy of the phrase, "love em and leave em." Then Penelope, well, she was wife material. The kind of woman who could make any man change his ways and settle down. Any man except Derek Morgan that is. They were complete opposites. The team as a whole had always been exceptionally close, but those two were inseparable. When they were not working, they were always together. Rather it was hanging out at each others house and having one of their infamous movie marathons or being out on the town partying it up like two wild teenagers. Anywhere they went, everyone just assumed they were together. But, if anyone called them on it they would just laugh it off and once again explain that they were, "just friends".

It was Friday night and Derek was all packed up and ready to leave work. He already shut down his computer for the weekend and had his go bag in hand with his jacket thrown over his shoulder. The only thing missing? His baby girl. He headed down the hallway to Penelope's office and knocked on the door.

"Enter if you dare," he heard her say.

"There's my baby girl," he said when he walked in.

Penelope was shutting down her last "baby" when he came in. She turned around and gave him a big smile.

"Hey there, hot stuff. Are you ready to go?"

"More than ready. This has been a week from hell. I'm ready to get out of here and start my vacation with my best and favorite girl. Is there anything in particular that you want to do tonight?"

"How about when we leave here we stop by the liquor store and pick up some wine, then grab some food to take back home and have a movie night. Besides, I echo what you said, this has been a week from hell."

"Sounds like a plan to me, Mama. Let's go."

He placed his hand on the small of her back as they headed to the elevator and down to his truck. After Battle, he insisted that he drive her to and from work when he wasn't out of town on a case. Nobody thought anything of it because they all knew how protective of her he was. When they were all faced with the possibility that Penelope might die, they all saw first hand how much he truly cared for her. They all saw the relief wash over him when they heard she was going to be okay. While she was in the hospital, Derek refused to leave her side. And, when she finally got to go home, he was the one to take her. Even though she tried to tell him he could go to his own house and that she would be okay with her "goon squad" parked outside, he refused. And, thank God that he did. That night while they both were sleeping, Battle showed up to try and kill her again. Anyone who has ever worked with Derek knew he had a temper and everyone saw a glimps of it at one time or another. However, when it came to his baby girl, his temper was that of a mad man. Nobody questioned that if Derek was given the oppurtunity, he would have killed Battled with his own hands. However, when he showed up at their office, JJ was the one to ultimately end his life by putting a bullet in his head.

Derek opened the passenger side of his tuck and helped her in, just like a perfect gentlman. He quickly jogged to the driver's side and got in. After starting the vehicle, he backed out of the parking spot and headed to the liquor store. They picked up their favorite bottle of wine, picked up some chinese food and headed to Derek's house... their home. Even though the team knew they spent a lot of time together, there was one thing that nobody knew. It was a secret just between them. A few months after the Battle situation, Penelope couldn't handle living in the apartment anymore. She had nightmares every night and that God forsaken blood stain was never washed up. So, Derek moved her into his house with him. She insisted on staying in the guest room, but he wouldn't have it. So, every night when he wasn't away on a case and when he got to sleep in his own bed, he didn't sleep alone. He got to curl up in bed with Penelope wrapped safely in his arms. Another thing that nobody except him and Penelope knew was that, just like Penelope, he had nightmares because of Battle, too. Her nightmares were about him coming back for her, even though she knew he was dead and it wasn't possible. His were about her getting shot and not surviving. They both slept better when they were laying there in bed together, wrapped in each other's arms. It also helped to have Cloony at their feet. But, still, they would deny anything ever going on between them because they were "just friends."

Now, Derek Morgan still liked to get "his flirt on" with the ladies but he wasn't as wild as he used to be. He would go out, flirt with the ladies, maybe share a few drinks and dance with them. But it ended there. He couldn't bring another woman home when another woman was living there. Even though he knew nothing was going on between him and his beautiful best friend, there was no way any woman would believe him. Yes, he could always go home with whoever it was that caught his attention, but he just simply didn't want to. At the end of the day, he wanted to be in his home, in his bed, with Penelope. His Penelope.

Derek unlocked the front door and stepped in to quickly disable the alarm. When Penelope walked in, he shut the door and locked it. He was ready to get the weekend started. He enjoyed the weekends because it was a break from work. It was a chance to get away from blood, stress, the unsubs. But, the best part about the weekends was spending the time with his baby girl. They usually started it out with take out and movie marathons on Fridays, just like tonight. On Saturdays, a lot of the time, they would stay in and just relax and talk about anything and everyting. Every now and then on Saturdays, they would go to their favorite bar for drinks and dancing. Then Sundays, every Sunday, they would spend the day cleaning the house and then go out for a nice candle lit dinner in the evening. Penelope would insist that he let her pay but he wouldn't let her. "Don't even think about it, baby girl," he would say when she would reach inside her purse for her wallet. "This is on me." They would then return home to get everything prepared to get back to work the next day. And every weekend someone would confuse them as a couple. Someone would comment how good they looked together or ask them how long they have been with each other. But, like every time before, they would politely reply that they were "just friends."

Derek grabbed a couple of wine glasses out of the kitchen while Penelope set the food up in the living room and picked out a movie.

"What movie did you pick for tonight, baby?" Derek asked walking into the room.

"I picked out Couples Retreat. I figured after this week, we could use something to cheer us up, even just for a little while," she replied quietly. They both thought back to the previous case and how hard it had been on everyone, especially Penelope. The UnSub, Vincent Shaw, was kidnapping women in their 20's and 30's in Nevada once every week for the past 6 weeks. He would then tie them to a bed, rape them numerous times and slowly kill them. This was one of the rare times that Penelope had to go out of town with them. After a week and a half of working their asses off and only having a couple of leads, they were stuck. So, Hotch came up with an idea. Looking at the victimology, he realized that the women had something in common. They were all beautiful girls, medium height and they were all blonde. The idea that he had worked up involved none other than Garcia, which Morgan was more than pissed about. They looked at how every victim went missing from parking garages that were always nearly empty. So, Hotch had JJ set up a media conference immediately. However, instead of JJ talking to the media, they had Garcia speak to them. Every news station from the town and surrounding cities were there. They set up the interview in a place where everyone knew the only parking was in a parking garage. But, being the FBI they had it where they were the only ones that could park in the garage. They blocked off the street so the media and news reporters would all have somewhere to park. They were already taking a risk with Garcia, which they all hated, but they couldn't risk anyone else's life by letting them in the garage.

After Penelope spoke to the reporters and answered some questions, they all headed to the parking garage. Derek kept his hand on the lower part of her back until they got away from the crowd of reporters who still had questions that they wanted answered. When they got to the parking garage they all headed in different directions. As Penelope headed to her suv chills ran up and down her spine. She heard someone behind her but before she could turn around, there was a hand that covered her mouth and a knife held to her throat. Penelope shook in fear as tears fell down her face instantly. This was so much worse than Battle. When he had first shot her, she didn't have time to be scared. He pulled the gun and just pulled the trigger. This situation was completely different. She didn't know what this guy was going to do. She had no doubt this was the UnSub, but what if he changed his MO with her? What if he did things differently than he did with his other victims? It wouldn't be the first time an UnSub did it. Penelope had so many thoughts running through her mind and most of them revolved around Derek Morgan. Her best friend. Her hot stuff. What if she never got to see him again? What if she never got to tell him how she truly felt? But, then she stopped thinking for a second. She didn't feel anything for him. Of course she cared deeply for him because he was her best friend but it wasn't like she had romantic feelings for him... did she? She silently scolded herself. Of course she didn't! They were "just friends".

Derek stood close by watching Penelope walking towards her suv. He wasn't happy about this plan and he was even more unhappy with Hotch for coming up with it and making her do it. The only way Hotch convinced Derek to go through with the plan was letting him remain as close to Garcia as much as possible without giving the team or their positions away. It still didn't mean Derek had to be happy about it. No matter how close he was to her, he didn't like her being in the danger she was in. She shouldn't be put in this position. He silently made a promise that if anything happened to her, he would rip the UnSub apart limb by limb and make sure he suffered the way all his victims suffered. And, Hotch would definately get a beating of a lifetime and Derek didn't give a damn about the consequences. Derek spotted a guy walking behind Penelope. His first instinct was to get to her, to make sure she was safe. However, he knew he had to stay put until he had a reason to move from his spot. However, it was extremely hard to stay still. He couldn't stand it if something else happened to her. She has been through too damn much. He almost lost her once and he was miserable thinking she was going to die and was so heartbroken seeing her lay in that hospital bed so weak and helpless after she was shot. There was no doubt that Penelope Garcia was one of the most important people in his life, if not THE most important. She was his best friend, his God given solace. She was the one person he didn't have to constantly have the tough guy act on around. He could talk to her about anything and everything. She was the only person who truly knew all the details about his childhood. How would he survive if he lost the love of hs life?

"Pump the breaks there, Derek!" he scolded himself in his mind. "The love of your life? This is your best friend. This is Penelope! Yes, she is your best friend and you love her, but only as your best friend. That's it!... Isn't it?" Before Derek could answer his own question, he saw the guy pick up the pace of his walk and the next thing he saw was the man grab her. Derek and the whole team ran from their spots, guns drawn and aimed at the guy.

"Vincent Shaw, FBI. Put the knife down slowly and let her go. It's over," Hotch said calmly but sternly.

Quickly turning around, Vincent faced the BAU team but continued to hold the knife to Penelope's throat. She looked around at her team but let her eyes stop at Derek. They looked at each other and refused to lose eye contact. Vincent noticed how Derek was watching Penelope and smiled the most evil smile he could at him. When he spoke, it took everyone by surprise that he called Derek by his name. UnSubs always knew when the FBI got called in on a case, but it was rare for them to actually know their names.

"What's the matter Agent Morgan? You look upset. Is everything okay?"

"Let her go, Shaw!" Derek growled through clentched teeth.

"I could do that IF I really wanted to. However, I think I want to have some fun with blondie here first. Is that okay with you, Derek?"

"I said, let her go!"

Vincent Shaw looked down at the terrified blonde. He slowly removed his hand away from her mouth but put his arm across the top of her chest to keep ahold of her.

"Derek," Penelope quietly said, tears pouring down her face, when Shaw removed his hand from her mouth.

Derek removed one hand from his gun and held it up trying to calm her down. "It's okay, baby girl. I won't let him hurt you. I'm right here. You're going to be okay."

"Tisk. Tisk. Didn't anyone ever tell you to never make a promise that you couldn't keep, Morgan?"

"Derek, I'm scared," Penelope said in almost a whisper.

"I know, baby. But, I'm right here. You're going to be okay."

"I don't want to die," she admited. She didn't care if the whole team was around or not. She was just being honest. And, when Penelope spoke those four words and he heard the way she said it, Derek's heart completely broke for his baby girl.

"Baby, look at me. You're not going to die. I'm going to get you away from him and then we're going to go home. You trust me, don't you, baby girl?"

Penelope didn't say anything, she just nodded frantically at Derek.

"Wow. It's just lie after lie with you," Vincent spoke up.

"Shut up, Shaw!"

"Now, Morgan, I'm just trying to teach you some manners. You never make promises that you cannot keep, especially to a woman. That would make you a liar."

"I didn't lie to her! I would never lie to her! I won't let you hurt her, Vincent!"

"You told her she wasn't going to die!" the evil man shouted. "Sounds like a fucking lie to me."

"I swear to God, I will rip you apart limb by limb and have you begging for me to kill you when I get my hand on you, mother fucker."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever! Now, listen, I'm going to tell you what I am going to do," Vincent said, still keeping a hold of Penelope with one arm and waving the knife around noncholantly.

"I'm going to take this woman, or your baby girl as you call her, and we're going to get in this suv here and we're going to leave. I'm going to drive her out of this God forsaken city and I'm going to enjoy some quality time with her, if you know what I'm saying and I'm pretty sure that you do. And, to think I had fun with the last girl I had. Oh no. This one, this one right here, is going to be the one I enjoy myself the most with."

"You're NOT going anywhere," Rossi spoke up, gun pointed right at Vincent.

"Now, Agent Rossi, I don't think I was talking to you, now was I? No, I wasn't. I was talking to Agent Morgan here. Now, where was I? Ah, yes. And, do you want to know what the best part of it will be Derek?"

"Nothing because you are not taking her anywhere," Derek growled at him, then taking a glance at Penelope. His heart broke all over again seeing how terrified she was. So help him God, if the son of a bitch didn't let her go completely unharmed, Derek would kill him. He would fucking torture him until he was begging him to just kill him, just like he told Vincent he would do. Consequences be damned.

"I think the best part, well for me anyway, will be when I get her to wherever the hell I plan on taking her. Which, I still haven't figured out. But, no worries. I will find somewhere to go. Anyways, when we get to our destination, I'm going to take sweet Penelope here and the first thing I will do is tie her to a bed."

"Shut up," Derek told him.

Vincent Shaw didn't listen and kept rambling.

"After I tie her to the bed, I'm going to duct tape her mouth shut."

"Shut up, Shaw."

"Then I am slowly going to undress her and let me tell you, I can already see that she has a body I am going to love! And, can you guess, agent Morgan, what I am going to do after I get these clothes off of her? I'm going to..."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH!"

"Oooh, looks like someone is getting a little angry. What's the matter? Does it bother you that bad that some other guy is going to love up on the little BITCH and it won't be you?"

"This is your last chance, Shaw! Put the knife down and let Penelope go," said Emily.

"Hmmm. I don't think so. Now, like I was saying before I was rudely inturrupted, after I get her clothes off, I'm going to admire the delicious body of hers and I'm going to make sure I show her what it's like to be loved by a real man. As a matter of fact, I don't think I will duct tape her mouth because as much as I love hearing muffled screams, I think it will be so much hotter to hear her scream without anything covering her mouth."

Vincet let out a chuckle as he looked at the teammates of the BAU, especially when he saw the look on Derek's face. "You know what? I think I changed my mind. I think I'll kill her first and THEN have my fun with her." He quickly raised the knife just above Penelope's chest, but before he could bring it down six gun shots were heard throughout the parking garage, Derek's bullet hitting him in the middle of his forhead. His arm went limp and fell from Penelope's chest as he fell to the ground. Penelope let out a loud sob. Derek quickly holstered his gun and went to Penelope to wrap her in his arms, catching her right before she hit the ground.

"Shh. I got you, baby girl. You're safe now. He can't hurt you anymore. And, I swear to you, I will NEVER let anyone hurt you EVER again. I promise, baby."

Penelope had her arms tightly around Derek's waste, the back of his shirt clenched tightly in her hands, terrified to let him go. He had her head pressed to his chest, rubbing her hair and had his other arm around her shoulders, while he kept kissing the top of her head. It was then that they realized that they loved each other more than "just friends." And, they both silently vowed that one day they would tell the other how they felt with the hopes that one day they would be more than "just friends".

The sound of Derek's phone ringing snapped them out of their thoughts. Penelope quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and listened to Derek's side of the conversation he was having with JJ.

"Morgan," he said answering the phone.

"Hey, Derek. Sorry if I'm bothering you, I was just calling to check up on my girl. How is she doing?"

"Hey, JJ. No, you're not bothering us." He looked over at Penelope and added, "And, uh, Penelope is doing okay right now. We were just about to eat dinner and watch a move."

"Okay. Well, I know with you she is in good hands. I just wanted to see how she was doing. Enjoy your night together."

"Thanks. We will."

"Oh, and Morgan?" JJ asked before he could hang up the phone.

"What's up?"

"Please, take care of her."

"You know I will. Night Jayje."

With that Derek hung up the phone and turned to Penelope.

"JJ was just calling to check up on you."

"She's just too sweet. She is always so worried about me. She's a great friend."

"Yeah. We all worry about you, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. I worry about all of you, too."

"I know this is going to make me sound selfish and I'm not trying to make it sound as if any of others don't worry about you, but, none of them worry about you more than I do, baby girl."

"And, nobody worries about you more than I do, hot stuff. But, you guys should never worry about me. I'm safe in my office, here in Quontico... usually."


	2. Chapter 2

Penelope looked down at the floor, sat on the couch and started playing with her hands. Derek saw a small tear escape from her eye and walked over to her. He sat down beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her to his chest.

Kissing her on top of the head he said, "I know I told JJ you were doing okay, but how are you really doing, angel?"

Penelope took a deep breath and sat up so she could look at him.

"I'm okay, Derek. I'm just tired."

"Penelope Garcia," Derek said in a gentle voice, "you may say you are okay, but your eyes are telling a different story. I seen what you went through tonight and even if I hadn't, have you forgotten that I know you better than anyone else?"

She chuckled softly. He did make a good point. Rather Derek was a profiler or not, it didn't matter. He was telling the truth when he said he knew her better than anyone and she swore that included herself sometimes, too. He was her best friend. She told him everything. Even when she tried to hide something from him, he always called her on in. There have been moments when he knew she was upset and she didn't even say anything to him. She may be able to put on a good front on for everybody else that she knew, but she could never fool Derek Morgan. And, that is one of the things she loved about him.

"Love. There is that damn word again," she thought to herself. "Why do I keep going to that word whenever I think of him?"

"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU LOVE HIM, YOU IDIOT!" she shouted to herself.

"No, I don't. I can't love him. He's my best friend. That would be weird,"

"Lady, who are you trying to convince? I'm your conscience and if you don't remember, I am really good friends with that organ that pumps blood throughout your body to keep you alive. You can tell me all you want that you don't love that gorgeous man sitting in front of you, but your heart tells me differently."

"Damn you, conscience. I really hate you sometimes."

"That's okay. You may hate me, but you certainly don't hate him."

"Earth to Penelope. Hello," Derek said snapping his fingers in front of her face. "Where did you go, baby girl?" he said with a smirk.

"Sorry, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"How sometimes I really hate how you know me so well," she said giving off a small laugh.

"Well, what kind of best friend would I be if I didn't?"

"Touche, sugar."

"Now, are you going to tell me what you were really thinking about?"

In a soft whisper and looking him in his dark chocolate eyes she said, "You."

"What about me?" Derek asked.

Penelope thought, for just a second, about telling him the truth. She thought about just coming out and telling him that she was in love with him. However, her nerves got the best of her and she backed down. So, she lied to him...kind of. What she said to him, was the honest truth. She just happened to leave out the part about being in love with him.

"I was just thinking about how grateful I am to have you in my life, as my best friend. I sit in my office everyday and I see such horrible things. I know it doesn't compare to what you do and actually seeing them, but this job sometimes gets to me. I mean really gets to me. Then, tonight with Vincent, you were there for me. You were there for me tonight just like you were there for me during everything with Jason Battle. You were there for me whenever Kevin did anything to upset me, no matter how stupid it was and you were there for me when he broke up with me. It's just... you'll never understand how much I appreciate you. As much as I love my job, I hate it almost just as much. It's so hard seeing the things we see everyday. But you, Derek Morgan, make everything so much better for me. No matter what is going on in my life, you make it easy for me to forget it all and, even for just a moment, make me happy. I couldn't imagine my life without you in it. Thank you for always being there."

Penelope didn't realize she was crying until Derek reached over and wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumbs while he leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forhead. He gave her a soft smile and grabbed both of her hands in his. She had just given him the strength to tell her exactly how he felt.

"You, Penelope Garcia, don't realize just how much you mean to me, do you?"

Penelope just nodded her head, gave him a smile and said," I know I mean a lot to you, Derek. You tell me everyday how I am your best friend and that I am important to you."

Derek let out a soft chuckle and shook his head. "No, silly girl. That's not exactly what I mean."

"Then, what do you mean?" she asked, looking at him with a confused look on her face.

"Do you remember the night you were released from the hospital, after you were shot?"

Penelope just nodded her head.

"Well, before Battle showed back up do you remember the short conversation that we had?"

Both of their faces formed a smile as they thought back to that night.

"I'll be fine. I got my goon squad parked right outside."

"Goon squad or no goon squad," Derek said, shaking his head at Penelope, "that couch right there is going to be my new best friend until we catch this guy. Now leave it alone, hard head."

Penelope let out a soft laugh and said, "okay," as she walked toward her bedroom.

Derek watched her as she stopped and turned to face him.

"And, if you are thinking about taking advantage of me, let me call my doctor first so he can revive me," she said with a playful, but sexy smirk, then turning back towards her room.

Derek raised his eyebrows and then laughed.

"Hey, silly girl," Derek said, causing Penelope to turn back to face him. "I love you, you know that right?"

Penelope looked at him with tears in her eyes and smiled. "I love you, too."

"You said, Hey sill girl, I love you, you know that right?" Penelope told him, answering his question if she remembered their conversation from that night.

"And, I meant it. More than you realize. When I told you I loved you that night, I didn't mean it in just as an I love you as my best friend kind of way."

"Then, how did you mean it?" Penelope asked quietly, trying her best not to get her hopes up but failing miserably.

"When I said I love you, I meant I am IN love with you. As in, if I had it my way, I would wake up with you in my arms every morning and fall asleep with you in my arms every night. I know we do that now, but when we go to bed and we wake up, you're still just my best friend. I want it to be more than that. I want to come home from a case, I want to walk in to a welcome home kiss. When I introduce you to people, I don't want to tell them you're my friend, I want to tell them that you're my girlfriend. When we go out to dinner or dancing, I want it so damn bad to be a date and not just a casual thing. And, one day, I want to be able to go out and buy you an expensive ring and ask you to marry me. Then, I want to help you plan your dream wedding. One day, I want to get rid of your last name and give you mine. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, showing you just how much I love you," he told her honestly.

Now, Penelope was really crying. He just made her the happiest woman to ever live on this planet. The man of her dreams, her best friend, her hot stuff, just told her that he was in love with her. Inside her head, she was jumping up and down squealing like a school girl. She looked him in they eyes when he told her how he felt, and she knew he meant it with all of his heart. But, she couldn't help but have trouble believing it. She sat there letting it all sink in, without realizing that she didn't say anything back.

"Well, baby girl. Are you going to say anything?" Derek asked her with a smirk on his face.

"I - I just don't know what to say... where to start," she smiled through her tears. And Derek took the smile as a good sign.

"Start with wherever you feel like starting. I just need to know what you're thinking, what you're feeling. I just need to know if you feel the same way as I do about you or if I just need to accept the fact I am your best friend and that's all I will ever be."

"That night, after I was brought home from the hospital, when you told me you loved me, I was so happy. And, for the first time, I didn't doubt it when someone told me they cared for me that much. Then, later that night when Battle killed that cop, when you came in there and just held me to calm me down, I realized that you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. You didn't have to stay there with me that night and promise to stay with me until he was caught, but you did. You didn't have to chace after him to make sure he couldn't come back for me, but you did. And, you didn't have to come back in there to make sure I was okay, but you did. And, that night, I just remember thinking to myself how lucky I would be to share a life with someone who not only told me he loved me, but showed me just how much he really did by the things that he did for me. However, the more I started to imagine myself having a future with you, the more doubts I had."

"Why did you have any doubts, mama?"

"I honestly don't know. I guess because you are Derek Morgan and Derek Morgan doesn't go for women like me."

That statement caused a confused look to appear on his face. "What does that even mean, baby girl? I don't go for women like you?" he asked her.

"It means, you go for the super model type women. You go for the women who whenever they walk into a place, heads instantly turn in their direction. To put it simply, you go for women who are just plain beautiful."

Derek placed a gentle hand on one of her shoulders, causing her to turn and look at him. He let go of one of her hands that he held in his and placed it on the side of her face, never letting go of her hand that he still held. He looked her directly into her eyes and told her," You, Penelope Garcia, need to know something. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever known.."

Before he could continue, she cut him off by softly laughing.

"Nuh-uh. No laughing, baby. I'm being serious. Do you remember, before you started dating Kevin, how you and I used to go out every weekend when I wasn't a way on a case, rather it was to a restaurant for dinner or a bar for drinks? Do you remember how every weekend we would always make time just for you and me?"

Penelope simply nodded.

"Well, do you want to know what I remember the most from all those nights of us going out?"

"What is that, hot stuff?"

"I remember how every time we walked into a room, wherever it was, I remember every guy around looking at me with pure envy in their eyes. I remember thinking to myself how lucky I was to have such an beautiful woman on my arm. I remember how every time you got up to go make a phone call to Lynch, someone would always come up to me and comment on how beautiful my date was. I remember having you out on the dance floor in the bar and seeing every guy in there, drunk and sober, watch every move you made and then they would look at me and, let me tell you, mama, if looks could kill, I would have been dead a long time ago. I couldn't help but feel proud to have you with me because I was the lucky guy that got to show you off. And, I still get the same reactions for guys when we go out and I still feel just as lucky and proud to be with you wherever we are. You can't honestly tell me that you didn't notice that."

Penelope gave him a tearful smile. "Well, I AM telling you that because I didn't notice any of it. I was too focused on you. I was too busy falling in love with you to notice anything or anyone else at the time."

"Oh, is that a fact?" he asked with a smirk.

"Yes, it is.," she said, smiling at him.

"And, when you say falling in love, what do you mean? Falling in love as in 'you're my best friend and i love you' kind of way? Or, I love you as in 'I want to make things official and share a future with you' kind of way?"

"Well, if I had to choose..." she said teasing him.

"And, you do," he smirked at her.

"Then, I'd have to choose the latter."

Derek's smirk grew into a huge grin as he leaned in to place a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.

He stood up off the couch and reached out for her to grab his hands to pull her up with him. He slid his arms around her lower back and smiled down at her. He turned around, pulling her behind him as he headed towards his front door.

"Where are we going?" Penelope laughed.

"I am taking you out to dinner, baby girl."

"Why? We just ate."

"Good point. Then, I'm taking you out for dessert and for some dancing. And why? Two reasons," he simply said.

"Which are?"

"One, to celebrate the fact I can now say that I have the best and most beautiful girlfriend in the world and two as our first offical date."

"But, Derek, I'm not dressed for a date."

Turning around and looking at her, he said," You," tapping her on the nose, "look absolutely beautiful."

Penelope didn't say another word. She just smiled at him and followed him out the door to his truck.


	3. Chapter 3

They got home later that evening after Derek took her out for dessert and dancing. It was a simple date, but both of them had the best night in their entire lives. They could have went to a hamburger joint and a movie and still had the best night of their lives... as long as they were with each other.

"Oh, baby girl! You just don't understand how much fun I had with you tonight, nor do you understand how happy I am now that we are together, truly together," he said as they walked up the sidewalk to their house, with a huge smile on his face and his arm draped loosely around her shoulders.

"I had a lot of fun, too, sugar. And, believe me when I say that I understand perfectly how happy you are now that we're together. I have been waiting for this for a long time."

Derek unlocked the door and let Penelope in before him. He locked the door and rearmed the alarm to make sure they were safe for the night. They both kicked their shoes off by the door and Penelope hung her purse on the coat rack. When she turned around to head to the living room, Derek pulled her into his arms and gave her a heart stopping, jaw dropping, and to be blunt, a panty wetting kiss. Biting at her bottom lip then rolling his tounge over it, she granted him full access to her mouth. He walked her backwards until her back hit the wall. He had one hand dug into her hair so her head wouldn't hit the wall. She clung on the the front of his shirt almost as if she were to let go, he would disappear. Derek removed his mouth from hers and kissed down her jaw and then let his mouth move hungrily down her neck. Penelope let her head fall back while her hands came up to pull his head closer to her body.

Suddenly, her head popped up and she gently pushed him away. They stood there looking at each other, trying to catch their breaths.

"What's wrong, baby girl?" Derek asked confused, noticing the worried look on her face.

"Nothing. It's - it's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Mama. Talk to me."

Penelope slipped by him to go sit on the couch and he was right behind her. He didn't say anything at first he just pulled her against his chest to comfort her with whatever was going on.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on in the beautiful head of yours?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I just don't want to take things too fast between us," she said softly.

"What do you mean, baby?"

"I mean, I just don't want to rush things. I have loved you for a long time, Derek, but I don't want us to take things too far too fast and everything get messed up between us."

"Oh, you mean sex?" he asked her gently, when he finally caught on to what she was talking about.

She just nodded her head.

"Baby, out there in the hallway, I didn't mean to make you feel pressured. I wasn't trying to rush things at all. But, kissing you is better than I ever imagined it would be. I just got carried away. I have waited so long to do that and I just... I din't meant to pressure you. I'm sorry," he said and Penelope picked up on the guilt in his voice.

"Oh, Derek, no, no, no, no! That isn't what I meant at all. You didn't put any pressure on me. I was enjoying it, but it just made me realize how I want to take things slow. I don't want things with you be like they were in my other relationships. We never waited to have sex, it just happened and things got messed up really quick. And, I don't want to take the chance of that happening with you. Please, don't feel bad. You did nothing wrong," she said, sitting up and looking at him.

"I got you, mama. Just know that I would NEVER force you to do anything that you didn't want to do. I love you and I will take things as slow as you want to take them."

Penelope smiled and kissed him on the lips. "Thank you, handsome."

"Anything for you, my sweet lady," he said shaking his head and smiling. "Hey, what about our movie marathon? You still up for it?"

"You know it, hot stuff. Only on one condition, though."

"And what is that, baby?"

"Let me get out of these clothes and into something more comfortable."

"Go ahead, mama. I'll get the snacks ready while you go change."

Penelope got up and headed to the stairs. She wasn't even half way up them when she heard him say," Hey silly girl."

She turned and smiled at him, waiting for and knowing what he was about to say.

"I love you, you know that right?"

Just like the first time he said those exact words to her four years ago, tears fell from her eyes.

"I love you, too."

"Good. Now, go get that sexy ass changed into something comfortable and hurry back. I'm ready to spend the rest of the night cuddled up on that couch with my baby girl."

She couldn't help but laugh when he smacked her on her rear end when she turned to go upstairs. When she went into their bedroom she realized all her pajamas were in the dirty clothes hamper in their laundry room downstairs.

"Hey, hot stuff?!" she yelled from upstairs.

"Everything alright, sweetness?" he called back.

"Yeah, I was just wondering if I could wear something of yours? All my pajamas are in the dirty hamper!"

"You don't have to ask. You already know anything that's mine is yours, baby. But, since all your night clothes are dirty, you could always just come down here wearing your birthday suit!"

Penelope could practically see the smirk on his face when he made that comment and giggled.

"Derek Morgan, do you not recall the conversation we had not even ten minutes ago?!"

She didn't get a reply from him, she just heard him laugh. She quickly undressed, leaving on nothing but her underwear. She looked in the closet and grabbed one of his FBI hoodies. She quickly threw it on. It landed about half between her knees and her thighs. She threw her hair up into a messy bun and headed downstairs, where Derek already had the snacks on the table and was sitting on the couch with the DVD remote in his hand, waiting to push play.

When she came down stairs, another smirk appeared on his face.

"Damn, baby. You are the only woman I know that can make a damn hoodie look that fucking good," he said licking his lips.

She just smiled and rolled his eyes. "Let's just watch the movie, hot stuff. And keep your eyes to yourself," she said smirking at him as she took her seat curled up under his arm, resting her head on his chest.

"You're no fun," he grumbled which caused another giggle to escape her throat.

After the movie ended Penelope let out a huge yawn. She almost fell asleep twice during the movie but every time she did, Derek would laugh at a funny scene from Couples Retreat.

"Let's get you to bed, sleepy head."

"Hey, you're a poet and didn't even know it," she joked with him.

"C'mon, silly girl," he said laughing, pulling her off the couch by her hands.

She waited by the stairs for him while he turned off the tv and checked to make sure all the doors and windows were locked, along with making sure the alarm was set. They decided they would clean up their mess from the snack they ate during the movie in the morning. After making sure the house was locked up, Derek walked over to Penelope with a smirk on his face.  
>"What are you smirking at, gorgeous?" she asked.<p>

"You."

When he got over to her, he placed and arm under her legs and one on her lower back. He easily and quickly picked her up and carried her up the stairs after giving her a quick peck on the lips. A huge smile came to his face when she threw her arms around his neck, threw her head back and laughed. There was nothing he loved doing in this world more than he loved making the woman in his arms happy.

He walked into their bedroom and playfully tossed her on the bed, causing her to let out a squeal. She scooted over to her side of the bed and got under the blankets. He took off his work clothes and put on a pair of sweat pants. Even though there was so much more to Derek Morgan than just his good looks, his deliciously good looks were a bonus. She would be lying if she said this man didn't look damn good all the time, but at night? HOLY you-know-what. Seeing him in nothing but sweat pants and no shirt was her favorite way to look at the man before her. It was a simple look, but oh so sexy. Bare chest, sweat pants and Derek is the man that has what women call the "v". And, she loved that she got to see it every night when he was in town. And, now that they were officially together, no other woman would get to see it ever again.

Derek killed the lights and slid into bed with Penelope. He drew her body near his and she rested her head on his chest like she did every night to go to sleep.

"Hey, baby girl?" he asked, lifting her chin with his finger.

"What is it, sugar?"

"No goodnight kiss for YOUR man?"

Penelope smiled and lifted her face towards his for a sweet, simple but spine tingling kiss.

"I love you, baby," Derek said after Penelope laid her head back on his chest.

"I love you, too handsome."

Then they quickly fell asleep, both with a smile on their face, happy to finally know that the person they love more than anything in this world, loves them just the same.


	4. Chapter 4

BANG!

BANG!

Those were the sounds Penelope woke up to in the middle of the night. Her first instinct was to wake up Morgan, who just so happened to be sound asleep next to her with his arm still tightly around her. She heard the noise again and jumped. Then, she just felt stupid when she realized it was the wind causing a branch to hit the bedroom window. She laid her head back down on his chest to try to get some more sleep. But, that ended quickly when there was a loud crash downstairs, Cloony started barking and then the alarm went off. She didn't need to bother trying to wake Morgan up because he instantly shot up. He reached over to his bedside table and grabbed his gun.

"Stay here, baby girl. I'll be right back," he said quietly.

"Derek Morgan, there is no way I am staying up here by myself when someone might be in this house. I am going with you," she said sternly in a whisper.

Derek reached behind him with his free hand for her to hold while he had his gun drawn with the other. He made sure to keep Penelope behind him the whole time, just in case someone was in the house. Derek figured it was highly unlikey and figured that when the alarm went off, it scared whoever it was that tried to break in. After checking every nook and crane, corner and hiding place in the house, thankfully they found nobody there. They realized nobody even tried to break in. Where the wind was picking up outside, it caused a branch to fall on some power lines and somehow set off a few alarms in the neighborhood. Derek went into the living room and turned on the tv to check on the weather. Thankfully, there were no severe threats, just a strong storm moving their way. Derek turned and looked at Penelope sitting on the couch when she let out a big yawn, much like she did earlier that evening before they went to bed.

"Now that we know everything is okay, let's get you back to bed, Mama."

Penelope slowly got up off the couch and slowly drug herself back to bed. As soon as her head landed on Derek's chest, she fell right back to sleep. All the drama and excitement from the day before had caught up with them both that they slept until almost noon, not even hearing the storm that hit them in the early morning hours. Penelope was the first to wake up. She wanted Derek to rest, so she went downstairs and started a pot of coffee. She went into the living room where her cell phone was on charge to check for any messages. She only had one voicemail and it was from JJ.

"Hey, Pen! I was talking to Hotch this morning and we're wanting to see if everyone wanted to meet up to hang out tonight. We already called Em and Spence who already said they would go, Rossi and Strauss are as well. Now, we're just waiting to hear from you and D. Just call me back when you get this and I'll tell you more details. Love you, bye!"

Penelope smiled at the message. She loved her BAU family. She loved how close they all were. Rossi and Strauss have been dating for about a year now, and the whole team was extremely happy about it. Since they hooked up, their Section Unit Chief was actually pleasant to be around. Dare they say it? She was even fun. Hotch and JJ got engaged about 4 months ago. Their wedding would be in May of next year and Penelope couldn't wait. After Haley died and Will walked out on JJ, she didn't think she would ever see her friends truly happy ever again. However, they were all shocked when they discovered that Emily and Spencer got together. Now, that was something nobody saw coming. However, everyone thought they made a cute couple and fit each other well. Since everyone was paired up, they all gave Derek and Penelope a hard time asking when they would finally confess their feelings for each other. Penelope smiled at the thought of their reactions when they discovered that they finally did admit their feelings and are now together. Penelope went back to the kitchen to pour her a cup of coffee and then sat down on the couch to call JJ back.

"Good morning, sleepy beauty," JJ said playfully when she saw that it was now 12:15 and Penelope was just now calling her back.

"Good morning, beautiful blonde friend of mine," Penelope replied cheerfully.

"You slept in late today. Did you have a long night?"

Penelope laughed at the tone in JJ's voice but she wasn't going to give anything up about her and Derek.

"Something like that. But, anywho, I was just calling you back to discuss the details you promised you'd give me about tonight in the voicemail you left me."

"Oh, that. Right. Well, we all figured we would meet up at the park around 5:30 and decide what to do then. It's easier to plan crap like this in person instead over the damn phone."

"Well, I will have to talk to Derek about it when he wakes up, but if he is fine with it, I'm fine with it, too."

"Wait, Morgan is still asleep? At this hour? You must of really put it on him last night for him to sleep in this late," JJ laughed.

"Jennifer Jareau-almost-Hotchner, I do not like what you are insinuating!" she playfully yelled at her.

"I wasn't insinuating anything, Penelope Garcia-one-day-Morgan!"

"That's it! I'm hanging up on you now. I will text you and let you know about tonight when I talk to Morgan! Love you, bye!" she said then quickly hit the end button on her phone before JJ could say anything else.

"Talk to Morgan about what?" Derek asked in a rough voice, walking into the living room with a cup of coffee.

"Well, good morning sleepy head," she looked up and smiled at him.

"Wanna show me a good morning, baby girl?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at her with a smirk on his face.

Penelope just laughed and rolled her eyes at his comment. Derek bent down beside her on the couch and leaned in to give her a good morning kiss.

"So, who were you on the phone talking about me to, motor mouth?"

She slapped him playfully on his arm for calling her that.

"JJ. She had left a voicemail on my phone this morning. The team was wanting to know if we wanted to go out with them tonight. I told her I would have to talk to you about it first."

"I'm up for it if you are."

"Alright. I'll let her know. We're all meeting at the park about 5:30 and then we'll plan what we're going to do from there."

"Sounds good to me, Mama. But, I'm going to go take a shower and then I'm taking you out for lunch."

"If we're going out, then I call the shower first!" she said jumping up and running past him up the stairs.

Derek let out a chuckle and ran up behind her, trying to get to the shower first. But, by the time he got to their bedroom, he heard the bathroom door close and then lock.

An hour and a half later, they were finally out the door and on their way to their favorite 50's themed diner. A couple hours later they walked in the front door and decided to just relax and watch tv until it was time to go meet the team. When 5:00 rolled around they got off the couch and headed for the park. Derek pulled the truck into a parking spot, put it in park and then turned off the ignition, removing the keys. He removed his seatbelt and turned to look at Penelope.

"Hey, baby girl?"

"Yes, my love?"

"So, what are we going to tell everyone tonight?"

"About what?" she looked at him with a confused look on her face.

"About us."

"Nothing. They'll figure it out. They are a group of profilers and even though not much as changed between us, there are some differences. I say we just wait for one of them to figure it out and say something."

"Alright. Sounds good to me. Now, come on pretty lady. I spotted Hotch's, Rossi's and Reid's cars, so they are all waiting for us."

They got out of the truck and Derek's hand instantly found Penelope's, lacing their fingers together. They saw the group of their friends standing around talking not too far ahead of them.

"I'm telling you guys, there is something going on with them! Penelope just wouldn't tell me what it is!" JJ exclaimed to the group.

"I think it's just wishful thinking on your part," Hotch said, cracking a smile at his fiance.

"Look, Penelope is one of my best friends. Her, Emily and I know each other like the back of our damn hands. Hell, with as much time as we have been spending with Erin, it's getting harder for her to keep anything from us," JJ said, cracking a smile at the older woman and getting a laugh out of her.

"She does make a point. We always know when one of the others is hiding something from any of us. And, that isn't the profilers in us either," Emily chimed in.

"I believe you, both," Reid spoke up.

"You do?!" Emily and JJ both asked.

"Yes, I do."

"Why? You have always thought we were wacko over them," Emily told her boyfriend.

"Because, look" Reid simply said, pointing in the direction of Derek and Penelope.

When they all looked up the first thing they noticed was the extra closeness between the two. It wasn't unusal to see them walking, sitting or standing near the other. But, there was always just enough space for people to think nothing of it. They then noticed how Derek was holding Penelope's hand, rubbing the top of it with his thumb. When they looked up, they saw the pair looking at each other, still walking and laughing together. And, then, it happened. Derek leaned in closer to Penelope, smile still on both of their faces, and kissed her! But, what got everyone the most, was how natural and comfortable they looked together. It was almost as if they had been together the whole time they have known each other. They were all happy, even Strauss, that they finally told each other how they felt about the other. The remaining members of the BAU that were watching the couple couldn't help but smile.

"OH MY GOD! I WAS TOTALLY RIGHT!" JJ screeched into Penelope's ear, hugging her best friend when they walked up to the group.

"Ow! That was my DAMN EAR!" Penelope playful yelled back at JJ when they pulled apart.

"Ha! JJ and I must be Psychic because we totally saw this coming," Emily put in her two cents on the situation.

"Don't you mean PSYCHO," Penelope joked with her friends, getting a chuckle from Morgan who was half ass paying attention to their conversation. "Please, explain to me what the hell you two wack jobs are carrying on about.."

"You and Morgan," JJ and Emily said together.

Penelope sent a side glance in Morgan's direction who was now too busy talking to the rest of the group to listen to their conversation.

"What about me and Morgan?" she asked nonchalantly.

"OH, come on, PG," Emily said dramatically. "How did it happen?"

"Why, Emily. I have no idea what you are talking about." She knew she was being cruel, but she was having too damn good of a time seeing her best friends squirm for information.

"DAMN IT, WOMAN! Quit holding out on us. We need the low down. The information. The 411. The deets," JJ said, smiling at Penelope.

"Ok, Ladies. Calm down. While you were over here houding kitten, we decided to go grab a bite to eat. When we get there, they can tell us everything, IF they want to," Rossi, always the voice of reason, spoke up. Penelope mouth a 'thank you' to him, causing him to smile and wink.

"Okay, so spill it," Rossi said after being seated at a table and giving their drink orders to their watress, now talking directly to Morgan and Garcia.

All eyes turned and looked at him, confused. He just told them that it was up to Penlope and Derek to tell everyone what happened between them.

"Come on. Seriously. We have all waited too damn long for you both to come to your senses and tell each other how you feel. So, fess up."

Penelope and Derek looked at each other while everyone looked at them, waiting to hear how it all happened. They both took turns telling the story from how they discovered how they felt when the situation with Battle was going on, how it was the situation with Vincent Shaw that made them decided to tell each other, all the way up to where JJ screamed in Penelope's ear when they arrived at the park.

"I didn't know you could be such a romantic, Agent Morgan," Erin said.

"None of us did. I figured he'd be a player his entire life," Reid interjected.

"I'm surprised he admitted it first. I always figured Penelope would be the one to step up," Hotch said.

"Damn. Nobody hold back. Please, tell me how you really feel," Derek said.

"Don't be such a grouch. You have to admit, handsome, they all make some really good points."

"Baby? You're kidding me, right? You're seriously going to side with them? I'm hurt," Derek said then winked at her to let her know he was just kidding.

Soon, the waitress came back and took their food orders. After a nice long dinner, full of laughs and deep conversation the gang sat around trying to figure out what else there was to do.

"Well, since nobody can think of anything, how about you all come back to our house," JJ said. "Jack and Henry are at Jessica's for the whole week. We can watch a movie or something."

"Yeah, we have some wine and beer if anyone wants anything to drink," Hotch added.

"You okay with that darling?" Rossi asked Erin and she simply nodded.

"How about you, mama? You game?"

"I am if you are, hot stuff."

The men paid for the meals and all split the tip. They got up and started walking back towards the park to get their vehicles. As soon as Derek started the ignition and put the truck in reverse, he reached over and grabbed Penelope's hand and pulled out of the spot. He just loved how everything was just so natural between them. Part of the reason he was always afraid of telling Penelope how he really felt about her was because he was afraid it would make everything weird between them. However, it was just the complete opposite. Now that they were finally together and they both knew how the other felt, it only brought their already inseparable bond closer.

They pulled up outside of JJ and Hotch's house, quickly followed by Reid and Emily, then Erin and Rossi. They all got out of their cars to talk while they waited on the home owners to pull up. Finally, after about half an hour JJ and Hotch pulled into their driveway.

"Took you guys long enough," Emily said when they got out of Hotch's SUV. "Where the hell did you two go?"

"Stopped by the store and picked up more drinks for tonight," JJ answered while she held up two extra bottles of wine and Hotch held up an extra case of beer.

"I knew I liked you people for a reason," Emily joked, getting a laugh out of everyone.


	5. Chapter 5

Hotch unlocked the front door and let everyone go before him. JJ quickly turned off the alarm and led the team to the kitchen. They all decided to just sit at the kitchen table and enjoy having a normal conversation that didn't include unsubs. The boys were on their third beer and the ladies were all on their second glass of wine. Nobody was feeling the effects of alcohol because they were taking their time between drinks and just enjoying each other's company. A couple hours into the conversation, Penelope's phone started ringing. She picked it up to see who was calling and a look of surprise came to her face. The room fell silent and everyone watched in amusement as she answered her phone.

"Hello," she said with a smile on her face.

"Penelope?" the voice on the line asked.

"Well, I be damned. If it isn't Micah Rivers. To what do I owe this surprising phone call?"

The man on the line let out a deep chuckle. "What's going on PG 13?"

"Oh, hell. You did NOT just call me that!" she exclaimed.

"You were never too fond of that nickname," her friend laughed into the phone.

"No, I wasn't. And, I never will be. So, how have you been stranger?"

"I've been good. Just busy busting my ass off at this damn place and trying to keep the little wifey happy. I don't know what is more difficult, keeping her happy or keeping my boss happy."

Penelope let out a chuckle.

"Boss man still busting everyone's ass every chance he can get?"

"You're damn right he is," he said causing Penelope to let out a small laugh. "So, G. How have you been? How's life with the FBI?"

"I've been good and life with the FBI is well... interesting."

"I would say so. I bet it keeps you busy."

"That's an understatement. I couldn't tell you the last time I had a vacation."

Oh, shit. Are you at work, Pen? If you are I'll make this quick."

"No. You're fine. I'm off work. We actually have the next week off. But, like I said, it keeps me busy. They say we have a week off but I could get a call in the next thirty seconds and have to be back at the office and my team of superheros will be jetting off somewhere."

After that, her friend grew silent. Penelope grew up with Micah. He had always been one of her best friends all through elementary, middle school and high school. They both even attended the same collage. But, after graduation they almost lost touch. They usually spoke once a year but that was even hard to do with both their jobs. But, neither one put any blame on the other and they both knew the other person would always be there if they needed anything. When Micha got silent, she knew something was wrong.

"What's wrong, Micha?" she asked gently.

"Well, there is a reason I called you."

She waited for him to go on but when he didn't, she asked," And, that reason would be what exactly?"

"I got a call last night from our good friend Devonte. Well, you know how he works over at the prison now. I hate to tell you this, Pen, but he escaped. He's out."

At those words, Penelope's heart sunk to her stomach. She knew exactly who 'HE' was.

"What the fuck do you mean 'he escaped'?" Penelope hissed.

Everyones face went from amusement at seeing her goofing off with her friend to concern.

"I mean just that. Devonte said there was a security breach last night and while checking the cells, they discovered he was gone."

"Oh, fuck. Micah, what am I going to do? He always said that if he ever got out, the first thing he was going to do was come after me," Penelope stated, her voice and her whole body starting to shake, avoiding eye contact with the team.

"P, calm down. Listen, you have to tell your team what is going on. They can protect you."

"I'll have to. I'm sitting right beside them," she said, once again hissing into the phone.

Micah took no offense. He knew his former best friend was shaken up. And, hell, she had every right to be.

"Good. They'll be able to help you and keep you safe."

"I know. But, damn it. How did he get out?"

"I don't know, P. All I know is he got out."

"When did it happen?"

"Three nights ago."

"Oh, fuck. Micha, then that probably means..."

"I know! I know! There is a good chance he is probably already in Virginia."

Penelope let out a shaky breath and wiped the tears that fell from her eyes. Derek wrapped his arms around her, looking around at the rest of his team with looks of concern and confusion.

"Well, I will let you go do what you need to do. Good luck, PG 13. Call me if you need ANYTHING."

"I will."

"Bye, Penelope."

"Micah, wait," she said before he could hang up the phone.

"What's up?"

"Thank you for telling me and thank you for offering your support."

"Pen, I know we're not as close as we used to be back in the day, but you're still my girl and I got you. Just keep your head up. Okay?"

"Okay. I love you, black boy."

"I love you too, white girl," he laughed and then disconnected the call.

"PG, what's wrong?" Emily asked her when she put down her phone..

"Baby girl?" Derek asked when she didn't answer.

"Uhm, that was my old friend Micah on the phone," she started.

"What's going on, Pen?" JJ asked.


	6. Chapter 6

"Uh, geez. I don't know where to start. You see, Micah and I grew up together. We were best friends from elementary school all the way through college. We were best friends up until I moved out here, actually. Between my job and his, we just lost touch. We try to talk at least once a year but sometimes that doesn't even happen because we're both just so busy. Well, he lives in Tennessee now and works for the TBI. And, our friend Devonte works for the prison out there. Micah was calling to tell me that someone escaped from prison a few nights ago."

"How does this concern you, Garcia?" Reid asked, worried for his friend.

"Well, our Senior year of college, Micah, Devonte, our friend Scott and I went to a party," Penelope started, taking a hold of Derek's hand. "It was the end of the first semester and we all passed our finals so we wanted to relax, have fun and celebrate. We were on our way home from the party we went to and we decided to take the long way because it was absolutely beautiful out that night. We stopped at a small restaurant to grab some coffee to help keep us warm. When we left, we ran into a guy my biological father worked with. It started out as small talk at first. You know the whole casual 'how have you been?' and 'the last time I saw you, you were just a tiny thing' ordeal. Everyone was out partying so we were pretty much the only ones out besides the owners of the shops that were still open on the strip. Well, Devonte happened to look at his watch and notice it was getting late. So, I politely told him that it was good seeing him again but we had to head back to the dorms. When we tried to pass him, he side stepped in front of me. At first all he said he wanted was a hug. But, when I tried to step out of it, he just held onto me tighter. Micah told him to let go of me and Devonte said he needed to back off. The next thing you know, there was a gun being held to my head. Well, to make a long story short, where the guys tried to protect me, they all got shot. Obviously, Devonte and Micah are okay but Scott died instantly. The man shot him in the head. After he shot them, he put me in a van and took me to a hotel that he owned. He kept me there for two days and..."

"Oh, God! Penelope, please tell me he didn't," Reid said.

She shook her head quickly. "Yeah. He did. He raped me. For two fucking days! Sunday night, he let me go. But, he told me that if I told anyone that he would kill me. However, a week later he was arrested for kidnapping and raping me. They also charged him for the murder of Scott and for two accounts of attempted murder. I remember I was so relived. It was a long trial, though. I remember going to court 753 times. Finally, the jury came to a verdict and found him guilty on all charges. The judge gave him life without parole. He ended up getting the death penalty. I remember being so happy about it, too. But, before the cops took him out of the court room, he started yelling at me."

At this point, Derek had both his arms wrapped tightly around her and had his forehead resting against her temple.

"He said, if he ever got out of prison, he promised he would come after me. He swore up and down he would find me and that he would kill me! Well, there was a guy named Jimmy Lakens, that I went to high school with. I was even friends with him at one point. Well, he got arrested a couple years ago for God only knows what. He ran into the guy in prison. Jimmy knew who he was, too. He had been in the courtroom almost every day for the trial and was there the day he was sentenced. Well, he told the bastard that I had got hired with the FBI and I was out here in Quantico. He told the son of a bitch where I live. He escaped three fucking nights ago and Micah along with Devonte think he is here."

When she finished, Penelope let out a loud sob. She clung onto Derek's arms, digging her nails into him. The team looked around, complete horror and shock on their faces.

"I swear to God, baby girl, you have nothing to worry about," Derek said, placing his hands on the side of her face so she would look at him. "I swear to God, that IF that son of a bitch is here, he will NOT hurt you. I won't let him. Do you hear me?"

All Penelope could do was nod.

"Don't worry, Kitten. He would have to kill every one of us before he would even get the chance to hurt you," Rossi told her.

"This mother fucker made the worse decision he could ever make coming after you, Penelope. I vow to you, he comes anywhere near you, I will kill him with my bare hands," Hotch spoke up.

"That's only if I don't kill him first," Derek said.

"Can you tell us his name, Penelope?" Erin asked gently, holding her phone to her ear.

"Donald Hawkings."

"Mr. Connolly, Erin Strauss here. I need you to do me a favor. I need you to look up a Donald Hawkings and print off a wanted flyer of him. Fax them to every police station and sheriff's department in Virginia and I need you to do it now."

"Mr. Connolly, I don't give a damn what your job is. Do what I asked and do it now. Or come Monday, you will not have a job to come back to. Do you understand me?"

After talking a couple more minutes, she hung up the phone.

"Pen, how come you never told any of us what happened?" JJ asked.

"Well, JJ, it isn't exactly easy to tell people that you watch three of your best friends get shot, one die, then get kidnapped and held hostage for two days so some sicko can rape you," she said. She wasn't being mean or rude. Her voice was soft and quiet when she answered her.

"God, I can't believe this is happening," she cried into her hands, her elbows resting on the kitchen counter.

Derek kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, baby. And, I'm even more sorry that this is all happening. But, I promise, I will keep you safe. WE will keep you safe," Derek said, talking about himself and the team. He remained calm on the outside, solely for the fact he didn't want to upset Penelope any more than she already was. However, on the inside, Derek's blood was boiling. Let this mother fucker try to do anything to his baby girl and Derek would end him! He vowed to himself that if this Donald Hawkins did anything else to her, he would kill him. There was no doubt in Derek's mind, that if it came down to it, he just might end up in prison when it is all said and done.

Later that night, JJ was curled up in bed with Hotch watching TV. She picked up the remote and muted the show they were watching. Tilting her head up from where she was resting her head on his chest, she asked," Do you think Pen will be okay?"

"I'm positive she will be. She has all of us to be here for her and she has Derek. You know just as well as I do that he won't let anything happen to her," Hotch said looking down at her and gently tracing patterns on her arm with his fingers.

"I just cannot believe she went through all of that. And, now the bastard who did it escaped prison. Hotch, I'm just so scared for her."

"I know, baby. But, nobody is going to let anything happen to her. She is part of our team, she is family. And, when you come after once of us, you come after all of us. I promise, between Reid, Rossi, Derek and myself, she couldn't ask for better protection."

"I just don't see how she does it."

"Does what?" Hotch asked her with a look of curiosity on his face.

"I mean, we see cases like this all the time. Women who get kidnapped and raped numerous amounts of time. And, even though none of us say it out loud, I know everyone wonders if they will truly be okay after the fact. She saw three of her closest friends get shot, one of them died and then she was held hostage for two days and raped the whole time. But, she comes into work everyday and no matter how bad the case we're working on is, she is always so positive. I know if I ever went through something like that, I would never be able to recover from it."

Hotch kissed her gently on the top of her head. "That's why everyone loves Penelope so much. It's like Rossi always says, she is our light to this team. She makes doing this job much more easier than it was before she was our technical analyst. And, you will never have to go through something like that. I would kill anybody who was stupid enough to try hurting you."

JJ tilting her head up further to give him a small kiss. "I don't know what I would do without you, Aaron Hotchner. I love you."

"I promise, you will never have to find out. And, I love you, too beautiful."

With that, Hotch picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Him and JJ quickly fell asleep in each other's arms after sending up a quick prayer for their team mate and friend.

Across town, Penelope was laying in bed with Derek's arms tightly wrapped around her. She was laying on her side with her back pressed against his chest.

"Derek?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"Yes, baby girl?" Derek asked, placing a kiss on the back of her shoulder.

"What's going to happen? I mean, with Donald?"

"Well, simple. We're going to find him and we're going to send his sorry ass back to prison."

"I don't think it will be that easy, handsome," she said sadly. "I'm afraid things are going to be much more difficult than that and things will get a lot worse before they get better."

Derek rolled her over to face him when he felt a tear fall onto his arm.

"Baby, I get why you are scared, I really do. But, I promise you don't have to be. I won't let him hurt you. Don't forget, you also have Reid, Rossi and Hotch. When it comes to Reid, a lot of people underestimate him. I have seen him out on the feild and trust me when I say that our pretty boy is pretty badass. Then, when it comes to Hotch. You know how he is when it comes to this team. He would go to hell and back for us all, especially you. Then, Rossi. May God have mercy on this man's soul if Rossi gets his hand on him. He says all the time that you are the light to this team, and he is right. He loves you like you are his own daughter. He would never let anything happen to his "kitten". Between all of us, this guy doesn't stand a chance."

"Oh, sug. I know that none of you wonderful superheroes, especially you, would ever let anything happen to me," she said, placing a hand gently on his cheek.

"Then, what's really bothering you?"

"I just think dealing with Howard is going to be more complicated than any of you think."

"Well, you don't worry about it. I don't want you worrying about anything. I promise, baby girl, I will take care of you."

Penelope placed a gentle kiss on his lips and rolled back to face the other direction to try and get some sleep.

"I love you, Mama," Derek said and then kissed her on the back of her head.

"I know you do, handsome. And, I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning, Derek woke up to the sound of heavy rain, loud thunder and bright flashes of lightening. He glanced up at the clock on the wall and noticed it was only 7:00. 'Too damn early to be awake on my day off' he thought to himself. He went to fall back asleep but noticed the other side of the bed was empty. He rolled over to see if the light in the bathroom was on but it was completely dark. Letting out a groan, he got out of bed, put on a pair of dark blue sweat pants and headed downstairs. In the living room, he saw Penelope sitting on the couch watching tv. She had her legs pulled up to her chest and was covered up with a throw blanket, holding a cup of coffee with both her hands. He couldn't' help but chuckle at the way she jumped when they heard a loud crash of thunder. His baby girl was never too fond of thunderstorms. At least ones that were as strong as the one outside.

"Hey, baby girl. What are you doing up so early?" he asked walking over to the couch to sit down beside her and pull her into his side.

"Hey, handsome. The storm woke me up and I couldn't go back to sleep," she smiled meekly at him.

"Well, its only 7:00. We have a whole week off. There is no reason to be awake this early. C'mon, lets' go back to bed."

"No, I'm alright right here. You go on up and go back to sleep."

"Nah. I'm awake now. Might as well as stay up. I'll be right back. I'm going to grab a cup of coffee."

Penelope returned her stare back to the movie she had been watching while Derek was in the kitchen. She tried to ignore the storm going on that was making her a nervous wreck and trying even harder to ignore the horrible gut feeling in her stomach that something bad was going to happen. Why did this have to happen? Why did that bastard do what he did to her? And why did he excape prison? Penelope was so lost in though that she let out a scream when the next loud crash of thunder hit.

"You alright, baby?" Derek asked walking back into the living room, hearing Penelope scream.

"Yeah, my love. I'm fine. You know me. I've never liked storms."

"Well, then why don't you let me distract you?" he asked with a smirk on his face, taking their coffee cups and setting them on the table in front of them. He leaned in towards her and captured her lips with his. He placed one hand on her hip and one on the back of her head. He leaned her back on the couch and deepened the kiss. Penelope placed one hand on the side of his neck and the other on his bicep. Before she knew it, she forgot all of her worries about the storm and Howard. But, right in the middle of their make out session, there was a bright flash of lightening and a sudden loud crash of thunder. Then, the power was out.

"I'll go get some candles and some flashlights. I'll be right back, baby girl," Derek said kissing her one more time and getting up off the couch.

"Wait! Don't leave me in here by myself!" Penelope said, getting off the couch quickly and wrapping her hands around one of his arms.

Derek let out a chuckle and removed his arm from her hands and wrapped it around her body.

"Do not laugh at me, Derek Morgan," she playfully scolded at him.

"I'm not laughing at you, baby."

"Then what, do say, are you laughing at?"

"I'm laughing because you are just too damn adorable."

"Nice save," she said sarcastically and rolling her eyes.

As they went to head into the kitchen they heard a loud pounding on the front door.

"What the hell?" Derek asked out loud to neither himself or Penelope.

The pounding got louder and louder.

When Derek walked towards the direction of the door, Penelope stopped him.

"Derek, what if that's him?"

He looked at her like she had ten heads. "What if it's who, mama?"

"Howard. What if that's him?"

"Baby calm down. I doubt that's who it is. Let me just go look and see."

They walked to the front door and Derek looked out the peep hole. "What the hell?" he asked again.

He opened the door, there stood a very wet and shivering, Hotch, JJ, Rossi, Erin, Reid and Emily.

"What the fuck, guys? It's like 30 degrees out here and the wrath of God is coming down on us. Took you long enough to open the damn door. Now, move so I can come in and warm up," Emily said pushing past everybody.

Everyone just chuckled. "Come on in, guys," Derek said pulling the door open wider and stepping aside.

They walked into the living room and Derek immediately started a fire. The power was still out so they needed some light and heat to keep everyone warm.

"As much as I always love seeing all of my super heroes, but what are you all doing here?" Penelope asked.

"Well Kitten, we were all planning on going up to my cabin for the rest of the week. We came by to see if you wanted to join us. But, now the storm is just too bad and we can't go any further. Do you two care if we crash here until it passes?" asked Rossi.

"Looks like we're having a slumber party, baby girl," Derek smirked at Penelope.

"Guys, we're sorry. We don't mean to impose," JJ said.

"Oh, nonsense. You all are welcome here anytime and you know it," Penelope said as she playfully smacked JJ on her arm.

"Do you all want any coffee? The power hasn't been out long, so the pot I put on earlier should still be warm," Penelope offered.

"I'll take some," JJ, Emily and Erin all said at the same time.

"Follow me, pretty ladies," Penelope said as she led them into the kitchen.

The men all smirked as they watched the women they love more than anything else walk away, laughing like four teenagers.

"I'm so happy they all have loosened up around Erin. She has so much fun with them. She was so afraid they all would be uncomfortable around her and that she wouldn't be able to have fun around everyone, especially them," Rossi said.

"I think we all should thank Penelope for that. She can break the ice with anyone," Reid said about his good friend.

"That is true. It's hard not to relax and have fun around my baby girl," Derek said with a smirk.

"JJ and Emily are great, too. However, Penelope just makes it easier for everyone to let go off all the stress and seriousness of our job," Hotch spoke up.

"And thank God for that, too. Our jobs have become a hell of a lot easier since she came aroud," said Derek.

"If I had a drink right now, I would cheers to that," Rossi said with a chuckle.

In the kitchen, Penelope lit some candles and poured her friends a cup of coffee.

"Thanks for letting us impose on you and Derek, PG," Emily said.

"Yes, thank you Miss Garcia," Erin spoke up.

"Ladies, ladies! It is no problem. I love seeing all of you. And, please, Miss Strauss, call me Penelope."

"Okay, but only if you start calling me Erin," she said, giving Penelope a soft smile.

"You got yourself a deal, Erin."

All the ladies let out a laugh. They loved spending time with each other, especially outside of work. And, now that Erin and Rossi were in a relationship, their group and their bond only grew stronger. They all considered themselves blessed to work with each other, especially Erin. She couldn't ask for a better group of people to have as her BAU team. She knew she could be hard on them at times. It used to be because she cared only about her job, but after time it was only because she cared about THEM.

Back in the living room the men were still standing by the fire talking about everything from the women of the BAU, to football and even though they tried to avoid it, work. They were currently discussing one of the cases they had a few years ago when all of a sudden they heard the ladies scream and then heard a gun shot. Derek instantly grabbed his gun that was currently laying on the fireplace mantle and then they all took off towards the kitchen. Derek looked around the corner to see if anyone was in the kitchen but saw nobody. However, he saw all the women down on the floor covering their heads with their hands. Derek led the men into the kitchen and they all went to their significant other.

"What the hell happened in here?" Hotch asked.

"Donald," is all Penelope said as she cried into Derek's chest.

"That son of a bitch was here?" he asked.

"Yes. We were just standing here talking and I happened to look outside the window and saw some man standing there. When everyone noticed I was staring, they all looked up and that's when he pulled out his gun and shot at us," Emily said, holding on to Reid for dear life.

"Are all of you okay? Did anyone get hit by the bullet?" Rossi asked with Erin wrapped tightly to his side.

All the ladies pulled away from the men and checked themselves over to make sure. Everyone let out sighs of relife when they all shook their head no.

"Penelope, are you sure it was Donald that you saw?" Reid asked.

"Yes! I am sure! Why wouldn't I be sure?!" she yelled, nearly biting Reid's head off.

"Because, Garcia, you are already upset enough that he is out. And, then when you see someone outside your window and then they shoot at you, it could all just be wishful thinking," Hotch said.

"Look, I know who I fucking saw. I'm not an idiot..."

Derek cut her off saying, "Nobody said you were, baby."

"Then, don't treat me as if I am! I know 100% that Donald was outside. Donald was the one that shot at us. And, DONALD was who I saw. If none of you belive me, then fine. Don't fucking believe me! But, do NOT treat me like I am crazy!" she said, storming out of the kitchen and into the living room, with Derek not far behind.

"Baby, baby, baby, baby," he said walking behind her and turning her around to face him. "You need to calm down. Nobody said you were crazy and nobody is treating you as if you are. However, we know that you are freaked out about Donald getting out of prison and we don't blame you. We just want to make sure that that was who was outside. Because, if it was someone else and we don't try to find them, they could come back or do the same thing to someone else."

"Derek, I would not forget his face," she started, jerking out of his arms. "That... that... that BASTARD killed one of my best friends. He shot two other people I care about. Then, he KIDNAPPED me and RAPED me for TWO FUCKING DAYS! It's not just 'wishful thinking' like Hotch said and if none of you believe me then everyone can just fuck off, especially YOU!"

"PENELOPE!" he yelled at her as she ran upstairs and slammed the door to their bedroom.

Walking back into the kitchen, he rubbed a hand over his face and let out a sigh.

"I'm guessing by all the yelling and the slamming of a door that it didn't go good in there," JJ said.

"That's an understatement. She is set in believing that Donald was the one outside," Derek said.

"I just feel so bad for her. She has been through enough. First Battle, everything with Kevin, then Vincent Shaw almost kills her and now this! When will she get a fucking break?" asked Emily, the anger in her voice evident.


	8. Chapter 8

Penelope Garcia felt terrible. She was laying upstairs on her and Derek's bed and she just wished that everything would go away. She was terrified at the fact that Donald was back. She was shaken up because she saw him outside her house and he shot at her and her friends. Plus, she felt horrible for biting Reid's head off when all he did was ask a stupid question.

"Why am I such an idiot?" she thought to herself.

She also felt horrible for yelling at Derek. He didn't deserve it. She was being completely unfair. She knew they were all worried about her and with their jobs, they were just going off instinct asking her the questions they did. But, she didn't want to be treated like a victim. She didn't want to be treated that way when Battle shot her and she didn't want to now. She just wanted Donald to disappear. Laying in bed, lost in thought, she didn't hear the soft knock on the door.

"PG?" Emily asked gently.

Penelope rolled over and saw Emily, JJ and Erin standing nervously by the door.

"Hey guys. You all can come in. Don't worry. I won't yell at you," she said sarcastically.

The three women made their way to the bed and sat down. JJ placed a gentle hand on her knee and asked," how are you doing?"

"I'm doing okay. I just feel horrible about yelling at Reid and Derek. Sorry for almost taking your boyfriend's head off, Em."

"You have nothing to apologize for. Pen, we're all just worried about you and want to help. Especially the guys."

"I know. And, I appreciate it. I really do. But, knowing Donald is out of prison and seeing him outside my house just freaked me out. I just snapped. I never in a million years thought that I would see him again once he was arrested."

"Penelope, you do not have to explain anything to us. Your actions were completely justified. And, to be honest, you're handling this situation ten times better than I would if I were in your shoes," Erin gently told her.

"Thank you guys. I'm so thankful to have you all in my life. I couldn't ask for a better family."

"And, we are so thankful to have you as ours, PG," Emily said. "Are you good to come back downstairs?"

"I'll be down in a minute. I just want to get out of these pajamas and freshen up."

"Okay. Take your time," JJ said.

They all got up to leave the room but before they reached the door, Penelope stopped them.

"Wait a second."

"You alright?" JJ asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just wondering if you, Emily, would send boy genius up here real quick. I want to talk to him for a second."

Emily just nodded and they headed back downstairs to join the guys.

"How is she holding up?" Derek asked when the ladies walked into the living room.

"She is fine. Just seeing Donald freaked her out and then getting shot at didn't help matters any, either. But, she did ask for us to send Reid up there. She wants to talk to you real quick," Emily said, directing the last part at her boyfriend.

Reid looked at Derek as if almost asking permission to go upstairs to talk to her in their bedroom.

"It's fine, Pretty Boy. Go on up."

Reid just nodded and headed up the stairs. Penelope had just put on a pair of blue jeans and a long sleeve shirt when there was a knock on the door.

"Come on in, boy genius," she said, knowing exactly who it was.

"Hey. Uhm, Emily said you, uh, wanted to talk to me?" he asked, the nervousness evident in his voice.

"Yeah. I just wanted to apologise for snapping at you downstairs. I didn't mean to."

"It's okay. You don't have to apologise."

"Yes, I do. There is no excuse for how I talked to you. You did nothing wrong. It's just - just seeing Donald really freaked me out. It's like I told my girls, when he got arrested, I never thought I would have to see him again. And, then he shows up outside my house and then shoots at us and... I'm just really sorry, Spence. Can you please forgive me?" she asked with an almost puppy dog look in her eyes.

"There is nothing to forgive. I completely understand," Reid said, giving her a smile.

"Good. Now, shall we rejoin the party?" she asked.

"We shall, me lady," he said, getting a laugh out of Penelope. "Just lead the way."

A few short seconds later, a laughing Reid and Penelope walked into the living room with Reid's arm hanging loosely around her shoulder. Derek, along with the rest of the team, smiled at the site.

"Hey, Pretty boy? What gives? I sent you up there to talk to Penelope, not steal her from me," Derek joked with Reid.

"Oh, hot stuff. As much as I love the good Dr. over here, trust me, I am all yours."

"Good to know, Mama," he said winking at her. "You good now?" he whispered in her ear when she moved to stand beside him and wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Mhm. All good my love. I am sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"Nothing to say sorry for, baby girl. As long as we're good."

"Our love is solid. No bad day can come between us."

He laughed at her all too familiar comment and leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. Even though everyone knew they would eventually have to talked about what happened, they all decided to just relax by the fire, listen to the storm and enjoy a normal conversation with their family. However, it didn't last long. It was quickly interrupted when Donald appeared in the door way of the living room and kitchen. He was soaking wet and was looking directly at Penelope with a look of pure hatred. And, in his right hand, he was holding a butcher knife while in the left he was holding a gun.


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone in the room froze. Everyone held their breath. There was nothing but silence except the noise from the thunderstorm raging outside and the water dripping onto the floor off of Donald's body. He looked at Penelope with a look of pure hatred.

"Penelope," he said in a whispered hiss.

Derek immediately got in front of her to keep himself between her and the monster before them.

"Oh God, no," she said in barely a whisper.

Donald looked around the room, letting his eyes linger on Erin, Emily and JJ.

"You have some **very **pretty friends, Penny."

Just like Derek did with Penelope, the other men got in front of their girlfriends.

"What do you want, Donald?" Penelope asked.

"You know exactly what I want."

Penelope's only response was shaking her head no frantically.

"Yes, you do. I told you that if you ever told anyone what I did, I would kill you. And, that is exactly what I'm going to do."

"I didn't tell anyone anything," she said, tears running down her face.

"BULLSHIT!" he yelled, causing Penelope to jump. "Then why did I get arrested?"

"I don't know. But, I swear, I didn't tell anyone."

"Don't lie to me. I hate being lied to! Because of YOU, I spent the last 15 years in prison!"

"No, the reason you spent the last 15 years in prison is because you raped her, you sick son-of-a-bitch!" Derek growled.

Donald took a quick glance at Derek and then looked back at Penelope.

"Is that your boyfriend, Penelope? Is your boyfriend going to protect you from me just like your friends you were with that night protected you from me?" he asked sarcastically.

"You bet your ass I am. I won't let you hurt her again."

"And, what about your friends here, Penny? Are their boyfriends going to protect them?"

"You're right again. We won't let you hurt them," Hotch snarled at Donald.

"How heroic of you all."

"Listen, we're going to give you one chance to drop the knife and gun. Do it now!" Rossi spoke up.

"Or what? Is the big bad FBI agent going to arrest me?"

"No! We'll shoot your ass!" Derek said and then all the men pulled out their guns that they all retrieved out of the car after Donald shot at the girls earlier.

"Okay. Okay. I'll put my weapons down."

Donald gently bent over acting as if he was surrendering. All Reid, Rossi, Hotch and Derek all watched him to make sure he did what Rossi said. As soon as the knife hit the floor, he quickly rose up with his gun in hand. He pointed it straight at Penelope and pulled the trigger!

BANG! BANG!

As soon as Donald pointed his gun at Penelope, Derek pushed Penelope out of the way and shot Donald in the chest. He was now unconscious. Derek pulled Penelope into his arms and held onto her for dear life while Hotch called 911. The ambulance quickly arrived. Donald was still breathing. Rossi explained to the paramedics that if he survived, he was to have a police officer outside his door at all times. As soon as he got the clear to leave to let them know and they would come to arrest him. Hotch called the local police department and had two officers assigned for a rotating shift. After that night, Penelope didn't want to stay in the house. She was too spooked. Emily, Erin and JJ were too spooked. So, they decided since Donald was in the hospital, they would head on up to Rossi's cabin and try their best to enjoy the rest of their vacation.

**Three Days Later...**

"I'm so glad we decided to come up here," JJ said to the group as they sat in the living room by a fire. The ladies were all sipping on a glass of wine while the men enjoyed a cold bottle of Bud Light.

"I echo what Jayje said. It's just so relaxing up here," Penelope said.

"It's one of my favorite properties that I own," Rossi chimed into the conversation.

"I can see why," Emily said. "It's so far away from civilization. Complete privacy. It's really nice, Dave."

"Thank you, Emily."

They fell into a steady conversation. Some serious, but mostly comical. This was a perfect example of moments that they loved the most. Spending relaxing quality time together as a family. They all had plenty of alone time with their significant other, but they made sure to make time to be together all together. As they were getting ready to go to bed, Hotch's phone rang.

"Excuse me for a moment," he said politely. He walked over to the sliding doors and stepped out on the balcony. Everyone watched as he started pacing back and forth and rub a hand through his dark hair. When he came back inside, they all saw a look that was all too familiar. This was one pissed off Hotch.

"Babe? Is everything okay?" JJ asked walking over to stand by him.

"I'm afraid not."

"What's wrong Hotch?" Derek asked.

"That was the police commissioner. There was a stabbing at the hospital. It was one of the officers that were assigned to keep watch over Donald."

"Oh god, Hotch. Please don't tell me.." before Penelope could finish, Hotch could cut her off.

"I'm afraid so. Donald stabbed him late last night and now nobody can find him."

"Last night?! So why the fuck are they just now letting us know?" Derek asked.

"Because they didn't want us to worry."

"They didn't want us to worry? That's bullshit. This man tried to kill Penelope. Hell, he tried to kill Erin, JJ and Emily, too. And, they didn't tell us just because they didn't want us to worry?"

"But, I don't understand. He was just shot in the chest and had surgery. How was he able to get out of bed, stab someone and then just leave the hospital?" Penelope asked, her arms wrapped around Derek's waist.

"I don't know, Penelope. But, we need to come up with a game plan and come up with one as soon as possible."

"Erin and I will put on a pot of coffee. I have a feeling this is going to be a long night," Rossi said as him and Erin headed to the kitchen.

The remaining members of the team stood around in an uncomfortable silence. Fear written all over the JJ and Emily's face. Pure torture was written on Penelope's.

_"When will this end?" _she asked silently to herself.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey y'all. I have gotten the request to put more JJ/Hotch into the story. So, for the one who has requested it, this chapter is for you & I promise to add more. If anyone else would like to request anything for the story, please feel free to do so. Thank for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing. It's greatly appreciated. **

It was just after 2 a.m and the team have been trying to work up a plan for a few hours now. Everyone was getting frustrated, not knowing what to do. They thought about just staying at Rossi's cabin, but came to the conclusion that it was just too big of a risk. Derek was frustrated more than anyone, but Hotch was a close second.

"Excuse me for a second. I need to get some fresh air," Hotch said getting up. He walked back to the sliding door and stepped onto the balcony where he stood hours before when he received the news about Donald. He took a deep, slow breath and ran a hand through his hair.

"Hey, are you okay?" JJ's gentle voice broke the silence as she slid her arms around his waist from behind.

He turned his head and gave her a slide glance. God, he didn't know how he would handle this if she was the one in this situation. He wasn't happy Penelope was having to go through it, but if it was JJ it would change everything. He wouldn't be able to think straight and all his profiler instincts would just go out the window. He wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to the beautiful blonde that had her arms wrapped tightly around him.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I'm just aggravated," he said, as he removed himself from her arms and turned to face her. He took her hands in his and said," I don't know what I would do if you were the one going through this. I can't handle the thought of losing you."

"I know what you mean. I couldn't imagine my life without you. I just feel so bad for Penny. I'm so scared for her, Aaron."

"I know you are, baby. We all are. We just have to try our best to stick with what we know. We have to treat this as if it's any other case."

"But, this isn't just '_any other case_'. This is affecting one of our team members, one of our family. **_MY _**best friend."

Hotch took the pad of his thumbs and wiped away the tears that were now falling down his fiance's face. He hated seeing her cry. He hated seeing her so afraid. He has worked with her for more than 10 years and has seen her kick some serious ass. To see her in such a vulnerable state tore him to pieces. He wished he could take aways the fear and the pain she was going through. But, he couldn't. At least not yet. Not until Donalds Hawkings was back behind bars or dead.

"Hey, look at me," he gently told her. When she didn't respond, he gently lifted her head up by placing a finger under her chin.

"I promise, we will find this man. We will either send him back to prison where he belongs or we will send him straight to hell. I don't know when we will find him but I promise you that we will. And, have I ever broken a promise to you?"

JJ just responded by shaking her head.

"Just hold on to that promise. Now, we need to calm ourselves down and go back in there to help the team. Can you do that for me."

She gave her fiance a small smile as she wiped away the excess tears and said," Yeah. I can do that for you. Thank you."

"For what?" he looked at her confused.

"For always knowing what to say to make me feel better. I really mean it when I say that I don't know what I would do without you."

"Luckily, you'll never have to find out. I love you, beautiful"

"I love you, too handsome."

Hotch leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips and grabbed her hand.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Lead the way, babe."

They went back inside to join the rest of the team. They resumed their spot on one of the love seats and cuddled up together. He had his arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders while she leaned her head on his chest and placed one of her arms across his stomach.

"Are you two okay?" Penelope gently asked.

"Yeah, we're fine, Pen. How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, I guess."

"Penelope, I promise, we'll find him. And, we will not let him hurt you," Hotch told her, looking her directly in the eyes.

"I know, boss man. But, thank you for the reassurance. I'm just sorry all of you guys are wrapped up in this mess."

"You have nothing to apologise about, PG. You're family. Whatever you go through, we're always here for you," Emily said.

"I agree," Reid said. "You have always been the one to always make us feel better, or help us when we're in trouble. Now, let us return the favor."

"Awe. I knew I loved my group of fine furry friends for a reason," Penelope said, making everyone laugh.

"Let me guess, Aaron. You still haven't had her drug tested, have you?" David joked with Hotch.

Hotch just shook his head and wore one of his rare smiles on his face.

"Guys, I don't know about you, but unless we're leaving anytime soon, I would love to just get some sleep. I am wore out," Penelope said.

"Sleep is a good idea. We'll regroup in the morning and figure out what to do. Everybody try the best they can to get some rest," Hotch said, serious once again.

They all headed up the stairs and mumbled their 'goodnights' to each other. Once they all were in their rooms, they shut the door and quickly fell asleep. While outside, a very injured and extremely pissed off man lurked around outside.

_'I knew I would fine you, Penny. Now, it's time for you to learn that paybacks are a bitch.'_


	11. Chapter 11

**I am sorry to say this folks, but this is going to be an ****extremely short chapter. My one year old is teething and was up all night last night so to say I am tired is an understatement. But, I wanted to post something for all of you and I am so sorry that this is super short. After I get some rest, I will definitely make up for it. xoxoxo - katieblackusa **

Penelope was the first one to wake up the next morning. She didn't get much sleep, however the little amount that she did get made her feel better than she did last night. She gently removed herself out of Derek's arms and got out of bed. She headed down stairs to start a pot of coffee, but when she reached the bottom step she completely froze. She stopped breathing. And, she could almost swear her heart stopped pumping and fell into her stomach. There sat Donald in one of Rossi's chairs with a smirk on his face she wished she could smack off.

"Surprise, Penelope."

"Wha-wha-what are you doing here? How did you find me?"

"It really wasn't the difficult," he started as he got up and started walking towards her. "I went to your next door neighbor's house. I told her that I was an old friend of yours. I said that we made plans to meet up but when I knocked on your door, nobody answered. Dumb granny, fell for it, too. She told me that you and lover boy came up here with your little family and gave me the address. Damn, old people are so easy to manipulate."

"Why won't you just leave me alone? I swear, if you leave now, I won't tell anyone that you were here," she begged him.

The man stood in front of Penelope, towering over her. "Do you think I am stupid?"

Penelope didn't answer him.

He grabbed her by her arms and said just a little bit louder, "DO YOU THINK I AM STUPID?"

"N-n-no," she stuttered out.

"GOOD! Because, I'm not stupid. I know, as soon as I walk out that door, you will run up stairs to your sweet boyfriend and tell him I was here."

"What do you want from me?" she asked, the tears just pouring down her face.

"GOD! Are you fucking deaf? I told you before I was shot that I wanted to kill you! And, guess what, bitch? That's exactly what I am going to do?" He whispered the last statement into her ear, still holding on to her arms.

"Get your fucking hands off my girlfriend or I swear to God I will put a bullet in your fucking brain," came the growling voice of Derek Morgan.

Donald looked up behind Penelope. There stood Derek with his gun drawn and pointed directly at his head. Behind him stood Spencer and Emily. He looked to his left and saw Rossi with a petrified Erin behind him and to his ride stood Hotch and JJ. They all had their guns drawn. It didn't faze Donld, though. All he did was let out a laugh. He looked back and fourth between Derek and Penelope before finally shoving her back. Derek placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and moved her behind him.

"You okay, baby girl?" he asked, never taking his eyes off of Donald.

"I am - I am now, hot stuff."

"Donald, you are surrounded. Put your hands on your head. We are placing you under arrest," said Hotch.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Donald asked sarcastically.

"Do it, NOW!" Derek shouted.

"Okay. Okay. Chill out, Mr. FBI Agent."

Donald slowly put his hands on top of his head and got down on both knees. Derek holstered his gun and grabbed a pair of handcuffs that Reid had handed him.

"Don't worry, Penelope. You will get yours. I promise. One day, I WILL kill you."

"Listen here you son-of-a-bitch. You will NEVER hurt her. We are sending your ass back to prison and you will never be able to come near her ever again," Derek said, grabbing Donald by his hair and jerking his head back.

"Yeah, we'll just see about that. You have no idea the people I know and the things that they will do for me. So, even if I am behind bars, I'll make sure that little whore of yours gets what is coming for her."

Just then, Derek rared back and hit Donald in the face. Blood instantly started pouring down his now broken nose and busted lip. Even though they knew they would get him back behind bars, they were all worried about if he truly did know people that would help him out for his revenge on Penelope.


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: Sorry for the time laps between the last chapter and this one... it's the way my muse took me. Anywho, 99% of this is going to Morcia (Morgan/Garcia) mushy gushy lovey dovey make your heart flutter because you think Nicholas Sparks wrote it. (: Just Kidding. I'm not that good of a writer and I don't know how long this chapter will be so don't get too excited. But, it is going to be Morcia sweetness. **I'm going to try to make up for the shortness of the last chapter but my one year old is giving me trouble here lately at night! So, please, in advance, forgive me if this chapter doesn't meet up to your standards. ** Hope y'all enjoy! MUCH LOVE! xoxoxo - katieblackusa! _

**Knoxville, Tennessee - 7 weeks later: Tennessee Department of Corrections**

"Are you sure that you'll be able to get the job done?" Donald asked the man sitting on the other side of the glass from him.

"I'm positive. I want the bitch dead as much as you do, boss."

"How positive are you?"

"100%, Donald. I promise, I won't let you down."

"You won't let me down? Do you remember what happened the last time you promised me you wouldn't let me down? I ended up in prison for 15 years. You told me that I would get away with doing what I did to her! So, when you tell me that you won't let me down, that don't mean shit to me."

"I understand. And, I'm sorry about that it's just..."

"YOU'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT?! WELL, SORRY DOESN'T MAKE UP FOR THE 15 FUCKING YEARS I SPENT IN THIS FUCKING PLACE!" Donald shouted.

"Boss man, I get it. I do! I promise, I will find Penelope Garcia and her little bitch friends and I will make sure every single one of them suffer for putting you back in here."

"Then get going. I want this done as soon as possible."

**Quantico, VA - Same Day **

Penelope Garcia was shutting down her computers for the day. The team was away on a case in New York and have been gone for almost two weeks. She missed them. She miss all of them. However, she missed her boyfriend, her hot stuff, her best friend more than anything. She never slept good when he wasn't home to cuddle up next to. And, after Donald, she really needed him there more than ever. She knew that it's been almost two months since he was captured and sent back to Tennessee. She was still shaken up about it, though. And, what if Donald did know people on the outside to help him finish the job and kill her? She knew that she couldn't be so dependent on Derek, but she couldn't help it. With him, she felt safe and KNEW she was safe. After her last computer finally shut down, she grabbed her purse and coat then shut and locked her office door. She was walking through the bullpen paying more attention to the contents of her purse than where she was going. Her head instantly shot up when she heard the voice that belonged to the person she has missed more than anything the past two weeks.

"Now, there's a sight for sore eyes. How's my baby girl doing?"

A big smile came to Penelope's face when she made eye contact with Derek. She knew they had a lead on who the unsub was but she didn't know they captured anyone, let alone were on their way home. But, did she care that she didn't know? Hell no. She was just happy to have her team home and beyond the mood full of excitement to see her hot stuff.

"Is that my gorgeous black twelve-pack that I'm actually seeing?"

Derek chuckled and held out both of his arms and said, "the one and only, baby."

Penelope practically jumped into his arms, but Derek didn't complain. He missed her just as much as she had missed him. He loved his job. He enjoyed being able to make the streets a safer place from all the evil in the world. But, he always hated when he had to leave Garcia. Even when they were "just friends" it was difficult to leave, but now that they were together, it was damn near impossible. Derek pulled back slightly and leaned his head down to place a kiss on her lips.

"Mmm. I have miss you so much, sweetness."

"I've missed you, too handsome. More than you'll ever know."

"You ready to head out of here?" he asked.

"MORE than ready. But, first I need you to answer a question for me."

"What is that, baby?"

"What on earth are you doing here?"

"Uh, baby, I work here."

"I know that," she said, playfully smacking him on the chest. "But, what happened with the case. One minute I am feeding Boy Genius some information and then I don't hear anything from any of you and then poof, you're here," she rambled and using her hands for dramatization.

"Hey, motor mouth. Are you going to hush up for a minute and let me tell you or are you going to just keep talking?" he asked with a smirk.

"Sorry."

"After you gave Reid the information about Kyle Tanner's history, Pretty Boy added everything up. Kyle's parents, failing college, and an ex girlfriend were all his stressers to sum it all up. We already had his address from when we first interviewed him so we arrested him. After that, we headed for the jet and came home. I wanted to surprise you."

"Well, you did," she smiled.

"Now, can we please go home, princess?"

"Walk me to my car, hot stuff?"

"Nope."

"Nope? What do you mean nope? How else am I getting home? By walking?" she joked with him.

"You're riding with me. You're car is perfectly safe here."

"Sounds go to me. Now, lead the way, handsome."

He lifted his arm and bent his elbow for her to slip her arm through. He turned his head, with a smile on his face and kissed her on top of her head. Man, was he ever glad to be home.

Once Derek and Penelope got home, they went directly upstairs to change out of their work clothes. Erin had given the team another week off. Granted, she was being somewhat bias considering her boyfriend was a crucial member of the team, but she loved them all. She didn't want them to get completely wrapped up in work that they didn't have time to enjoy their person lives. Once Penelope was in her pajams, which consisted of one of Derek's FBI t-shirts and some sweat pants, she headed down stairs to pour them both a glass of wine. She picked out a movie, like she did every Friday night, and settled onto the couch waiting for Derek.

"Finally. What took you so long, grandpa?" She asked jokingly once Derek made his way downstairs.

"Woman, don't make me spank you," Derek said laughing.

"Whatever you say," she said smiling and then added under her breath, "tease."

"What was that baby girl?" he glanced sideways at her once he was sitting on the couch beside her.

"Nothing. i didn't say anything... old age is already effecting the hearing."

"Alright! That's it! You're getting it now," Derek said as he lunged at her and started tickling her.

"STOP! Derek STOP! Okay. Okay. I'm sorry. Please! I'M SORRY!" she squealed.

Derek stopped his movements but remained on top of her. He looked down at her and smiled.

"Better make it up to me, Mama."

Penelope looked at him for a moment and then raised her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. When she went to pull back, all Derek did was deepen the kiss. Penelope and Derek's hands roamed all over the other's bodies. They felt like two younger teenagers. Although, they still haven't had sex, they both felt as if they were on cloud nine when they were together the way they were at that moment. Penelope felt as if nothing in the world could harm her and as if nothing in the world could go wrong. Derek, felt as if he was actually holding the world in his hands. And, in his opinion, he was. Because, there was no doubts, that Penelope Garcia was his entire world. There wasn't anything that he wouldn't do for her. She was his best friend and the love of his life. And, at that moment, he sent up a prayer of thanksgiving for having her in his life and more importantly in his arms.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I have no idea where my muse is going to take me on this, y'all. So, this chapter can be all romance, all drama, or a little bit of both. Who knows? All I know is I want to write and I'm going to write. However, I can say this is a chapter where M Rated is heavy. Okay, maybe not HEAVY because I suck at the you-know-what stuff (; But, I'll do what I can, folks. And, again, sorry for another time lapse! Hope you fine lovelies enjoy it! Hugs & Kisses to all. xoxoxo - katieblackusa. **

**_Derek and Penelope:_**

It has been 3 months since Donald Hawkings was arrested and returned to Tennessee. The first month, Penelope had trouble sleeping. Every time she would close her eyes, she would see his face. She refused to go to sleep and partially, her terror would make it impossible for her to even try. When she did finally fall asleep out of pure exhaustion, she would have nightmares about him. She was so thankful for Derek. He was so good with her and so patient. When she would jerk awake from her dreams, sobbing, he would wrap her in his arms. He comforted her and made her fell okay. He made her feel safe. The nightmares slowly, but finally, went away. She realized Donald couldn't hurt her anymore. At least every part of her EXCEPT her subconscious believed that.

Penelope had just got home from work. She kicked off her shoes by the front door, then quickly hung up her purse and jacket. She ran up the stairs and threw on a pair of her sweat pants and one of Derek's t-shirts. The team were on the jet coming back from a case they had been working in Texas for a couple of weeks now. She poured her a glass of wine and sat down on the living room couch after putting in a movie. She made sure to have an empty glass n the table so when she heard Derek pull up, she could go ahead and pour him a glass.

About twenty minutes into the movie she had put in, she heard Derek pull into the driveway. She reopened the bottle of wine and poured some into a glass for him. She heard the front door open and quickly close, along with the sound of his keys being placed on the table by the door.

"Hey, baby girl."

"Hey, hot stuff," she said, handing him the glass of wine she had poured for him.

"Thanks, baby."

Derek sat down on the couch next to Penelope and leaned in for a kiss. He sat back and put his arm behind her to rest on the back of the couch.

"What movie did you pick out for tonight?"

"Your favorite. _Boondock Saints_. Do you want me to warm some of this food up for you?"

"No, thanks. I ate something at work before I left. I thought I was going to have to stay later than I did. Luckily, I got out of there before it got too late. All I can say is, thank God it is Friday."

"Here, here," Penelope cheerful said, holding up her glass of wine.

"So, Hotch said something about JJ mentioning everyone hanging out at their house sometime this weekend?" Derek said as more of a question than a statement.

"Yeah, she brought it up to me earlier today before I left work."

"You wanting to go?"

"Honestly? Not really. I'd rather just stay home."

"I was hoping you would say that," he said with a smirk.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Jayje and the whole team. But, after the past month, it would be nice to stay home and do absolutely nothing. Well, almost nothing."

"Almost? What do you have in mind, sweetness?"

"Well, if I had it my way, then I would spend this whole weekend doing nothing but you," she said and threw a wink in his direction.

"That mouth is going to get you in trouble one of these days, Mama. You better watch it."

"Or what? You'll spank me?"

"Damn right."

"Promises, promises."

"Oh, you think I'm playing games?" he asked, throwing a sideways glance and a smirk at her.

"Mhmm. That's exactly what I think."

Derek slowly stood up from the couch and walked directly in front of Penelope.

"Oh, trust me, Mama. I'm far from playing games. I'm serious. Keep that dirty talk up and I will have no choice but to spank you."

"Oh, mon cher. You have been saying that for years and have yet to do it. So, you can't really blame a girl for thinking you aren't actually serious," Penelope said, looking up at her boyfriend.

"I guess, I'll just have to take you upstairs and show you just how serious I am."

Before Penelope could react, Derek picked her up off the couch and threw her over his shoulder, started walking towards the stairs, causing a squeal of laughter to come from her.

"DEREK! Put me down!"

No way, woman. I told you that dirty mouth of yours was going to get you in trouble one of these days and I'm happy to say that that day has arrived."

"Derek, what are you doing?" she laughed.

"Oh, like you don't know" Derek said, smacking her on the ass.

Derek walked into their bedroom and playfully tossed her on the bed. He stood up and quickly pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side. He undid his belt and pushed his pants down, leaving on only his boxers.

"Strip," he said, the sexual need for her in his voice.

"Someone is a little bossy."

"Don't make me say it again, Mama. Strip," this time, it coming out more as a growl.

"Yes sir," she purred. She honestly thought his eagerness was sexy.

Penelope got up on her knees and took off the shirt she had been wearing. She crawled off the bed and kicked off her shoes before slowly unbuttoning and unzipping her pants. She pushed them to the ground and stepped out of them.

"Are you happy now?"

"Not completely. Take your bra and underwear off."

"Not until you take your boxers off first, handsome."

"Fine. But, if I show you mine, you have to show me yours," he said, winking at her.

He watched as Penelope dropped her eyes to his lower half of his body. He slowly moved his boxers down and let them fall to the floor. He heard her take in a sharp breath and watched as her eyes grew wide and her mouth hung open. He watched as she ran her tongue very slowly over her bottom lip and then gently bite down on it.

"Do you like what you see, baby girl?" he asked with a smirk.

All Penelope could do was nod. Oh, she most definitely liked what she saw. No, wait. She LOVED what she saw. A very sexy and very naked Derek Morgan standing right in front of her. And, oh hot damn, it was better than she ever imagined. She instantly felt herself become soaking wet, her core burning as if it was literally on fire.

"I showed you mine, now you got to show me yours, baby. That was the deal."

Penelope looked up into his eyes. Part of her wanted to be nervous. Since her break up with Kevin, she lost a lot of weight. She was finally happy with how her body looked. She didn't feel embarrassed when she looked in the bathroom mirror or when she went shopping for dresses or bathing suits with JJ and Emily. However, standing here before _him_, standing in front of _Derek Morgan_, she couldn't help but almost be nervous. Then again, the other part of her wanted to be excited. Not that she wasn't excited about the notion of making love with Derek for the first time, but the idea of her being naked was a whole different story. She would read in novels and see in movies how women were always so comfortable around their men. She wanted the same thing with Derek. She knew no matter what that he wouldn't judge her or make her feel uncomfortable, she just wanted him to be pleased.

She reached up behind her back and unstrapped her bra. She slid the left strap off her left arm and then gently slid the right strap down her right arm. She let her bra hit the ground in front of her feet. She blushed when she saw Derek smirk and noticed he hardened even more. She placed her thumbs into her underwear and gradually pushed them to her ankles. She stepped one foot out of them and swiftly kicked them aside with her other. She avoided Derek's eyes. She avoided his face. She refused to look at him in fear of what his expression would display. She silently told herself that she was being stupid, that Derek loved her. Though, no matter how much she knew Derek loved her, she was still apprehensive about what he thought now that he had seen her naked. She was looking down at the grown with her hands held together in front of her body when he walked over to her. He placed his index finger under her chin and gently raised her head up to look at him.

"What's wrong, baby girl?"

"Noth- nothing's wrong."

"You know you cannot lie to me. Spill it."

She hesitated for only a moment and said," I don't know. It's just, it's weird. Standing here, in front of _you_, completely naked. I just, don't want you to be repulsed by me."

That comment all together took Derek by surprised but the word 'repulse' was what really got him. Did she really think that he would be repulsed by her or her body? He knew his baby girl could be crazy at time, but that was just flat out insane to him that she could honestly believe that.

"Why in the world would I be repulsed by you?"

"Come on, Derek. Don't act as if you don't know what I am talking about."

"Don't 'come on, Derek' me, mama. And, I don't know what you are talking about, so explain to me what it is exactly that you are talking about."

"Derek, I'm not the normal type of woman that you usually go for.. I mean use to go for. You went with the stick-thin, sized-zero, I-could-be-a-super-model, type women. And, I am far from that."

"Listen to me, baby. I don't care what type of women I used to go for because nothing I did with those women matter anymore. I happen to believe that you are the most beautiful woman to walk this earth and I happen to think that you have the most beautiful body any woman could have. I only use to go with that certain type of women because I never dreamed in a million years that I had a shot in hell with you. You, Penelope Garcia, are perfection in my eyes. If anyone should be nervous about anything in this relationship, it should be me."

"You?" she asked.

"Yeah, me."

"What would you have to be nervous about?"

"Like I said, you are perfection in my eyes. I am nervous that I am going to do something to screw this whole thing up, that I am never going to be good enough for you. I'm never going to be good enough to make you happy or will be able to give you everything you want, need and deserve. Woman, I am so madly in love with you is literally, physically hurts. You are the most important person in my life and without a doubt the best thing to ever happen to me. And, if I lost you, I truly wouldn't be able to go on. I wouldn't be able to live. I love you, I have always loved you and I will always love you. Never think that you or your body isn't good enough for me, because goddess, there isn't anyone out there, super model or not, that I'd rather be with. Do you understand me?"

Penelope felt the tears fall down her cheeks as she nodded her head at him. Now, she really felt stupid for being so damn paranoid about what he would think about her once he saw her naked. The man standing before her, her best friend, Derek Morgan, honestly loved her. And, she couldn't be happier. Penelope placed her small hand on his face and stood on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss on his lips. When she went to pull back, Derek stopped her. He placed one hand on her lower back and tangled the other in her blonde hair. He pulled her as close as he could to his body and started walking her backwards towards their bed.

When the back of Penelope's legs hit the side, he gently laid her down, never breaking contact. He worked his lips from her mouth, over her cheek and down the side of her throat. He slid his hand from her lower back, up her side and brought it around to softly grasp her left breast and message it cause Penelope to let out a small moan. Derek's dick was throbbing and he wanted so badly just to dive into her but he knew she deserved better than that. She deserved to be loved slowly and he made sure she got just that. He wanted to take his time with her so she didn't feel like one of his old flings he had before they got together. He wanted her to know just how much he really did love her. Without hesitation, if it came down to it, Derek would give up his own life for the woman underneath him. He would walk through Hell and back just to see her smile. There wasn't anything in this world that he wouldn't do for her. He would sacrifice anything just so she would be happy. If there had been any questions before, and there wasn't, there were no questions now, that Derek Morgan loved Penelope Garcia. And one day, she would be his wife. One day, her name would no longer be Penelope Garcia, but instead, be Penelope Morgan.

Derek rose up, just for a moment, to let Penelope slide further back onto the bed. He made sure to take a condom out of the top drawer of his nightstand and placed it on the top to make sure he could get to it easily. He crawled onto the bed with Penelope, smiled and winked at her to reassure her that everything would be okay. A silent reminder that he loved her. His heart did a double flip in his chest when she smiled at him. It wasn't a cheesy smile or one of seduction. Rather, it was a smile of pure love and trust. Derek pushed back a few strands of hair that had fallen into her face.

"You are so beautiful," he whispered. "I love you, baby."

"I love you too, handsome," she smiled up at him.

Derek leaned down and captured her lips into a heated kiss. He was planning on taking his time loving Penelope, but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to happen tonight. The way his dick was throbbing, the way he and Penelope were moaning, and the heat her core was letting off was unimaginable. He knew there would be plenty of other times that he would be able to take his time and truly cherish her but tonight was not going to be the night. Well, this round of tonight wasn't going to be the time.

Derek took in a sharp breath when he felt Penelope's small hand wrap around him. She started stroking him gently, slowly. He took one of his hands and reached down between their two bodies. He rubbed his index finger and rubbed it against her wet lips and then gently inserted it in her, shortly followed by a second finger. Derek started the "come here" motion and learned really quick that Penelope enjoyed it. The way she was moan and saying his name was damn near the sexiest thing he has ever heard in his life. Penelope picked up the pace of her stroke of him when he picked up the pace of his fingers.

"God, I want you so bad, baby girl," he growled into her ear.

"I want you, too. Now."

What his baby girl wanted, he would gladly give. He removed his fingers from inside her and leaned over to retrieve the condom off the nightstand. He quickly tore it open and sheathed himself. He rolled back on top of her, making sure to hold himself up with his arms so not to crush her with his body weight. He grabbed a hold of himself and lined his hard and throbbing dick up with her entrance. He looked at her for a moment to make sure this was really what she wanted and a smile came to his face when she winked at him. He slowly entered just the tip of himself inside of her before as slowly as possible sliding all the way in. He wanted her to be comfortable, to feel comfortable. He would never do anything to hurt his baby girl. He stayed still for a moment. He wanted to burn the memory into his head of what it felt like to be surrounded by her. If it felt this good wearing a condom, he could only imagine how good it would feel the day he didn't need to wear one.

He pulled all the way out and gently slid all the way back in. He did this for a few moments until Penelope said, "please, Derek. We have plenty of time to take things slow. I just need you so bad. Please, just go faster."

"You were reading my mind, baby."

He kissed her on the forehead before leaning down to kiss her on her neck, while speeding up the pace. The bed creaked. It hit against the wall. Penelope moaned and screamed and Derek groaned at the feeling of finally being with her. Finally being able to love her. Penelope was right. There was plenty of time for them to show each other what they mean to the other nice and slow, but right now, in that moment, they just needed each other.

* * *

><p>Sweat covered both of their bodies. There were scratches on Derek's back. They laid together, wrapped up in each other's arms trying to catch their breath. Derek turned his head slightly ti place a kiss on Penelope's forehead.<p>

"I love you, beautiful."

"I love you too, handsome."

"Are you feeling okay," he asked her.

"I'm feeling better than okay, hot stuff."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Handsome, please stop worrying. You didn't hurt me. I promise," she said.

They laid in bed for about another half an hour before Derek's stomach growled, causing Penelope to chuckle.

"Hungry?" she asked.

"Just a little," he laughed. "Get up and get dressed and we'll go and grab us a bite to eat downtown somewhere."

"I can always fix something here, Derek. You don't have to take me out every night, you know?"

"Woman, hush up and just get dressed. If I feel like taking my girl out to eat, I will. Now, leave it alone."

"Yes, sir," she mocked salute him, making him laugh again.

* * *

><p><strong>30 Minutes Later... <strong>

"You ready to go, mama?!" Derek yelled up the stairs to Penelope.

"Yeah, hot stuff. Let me grab my purse real quick and I'll be right down!"

Derek put on his leather black coat and made sure to grab his keys, cell phone and wallet. He picked up Penelope's coat for her when he heard her coming down the stairs. When he saw her, his breath caught right in his throat. She was so damn beautiful.

"What are you staring at, handsome?" Penelope asked with a smile on her face when she caught Derek staring.

"You. You are so beautiful, baby girl," he said in almost a whisper, leaning in to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You ready to go?"

"Yup. All ready."

She turned her back to him so he could help her into her coat, just like the perfect gentleman he was. There was no doubt that Fran Morgan would be proud of her son. Derek quickly set the alarm and then led Penelope outside to his truck. Once they were both settled in, with their seat belts on,Derek put the truck in reveres and pulled out of the driveway.

Twenty minutes late, and about 10 minutes away from the restaurant, Penelope's phone started ringing. She looked at the caller I.D. and let out a moan when she noticed it was JJ.

"Everything okay, mama?"

They were sitting at a red light so she just held up the phone to show him who was calling.

"It's never good news when she calls," Penelope said, making Derek laugh.

"Hello?" Penelope asked, answering the phone.

"Hey, Pen. You and Derek need to head on to the BAU. We're all meeting in 45 minutes at the round table."

"Why? What's wrong? Where are my super heroes flying off to now?"

"We'll inform you when we're all there."

"Okay. See you soon, Jayje."

"Oh, and Penelope?" JJ stopped her really quick.

"Yeah?"

"Be careful," JJ said with concern in her voice.

"Okay, bye," Penelope said, quickly hanging up the phone.

"Let me guess. BAU?" Derek asked.

"You got it, hot stuff."

"Where are we headed to now?"

"I don't know. JJ wouldn't tell me. She said she would tell us when we all got there."

Derek through a strange look in her direction. He knew if JJ was holding back information from Penelope, it couldn't be anything good.

**_TBC... _**


	14. Chapter 14

Hotch and JJ were the first to arrive at the BAU. Instead of heading straight to the round table , they first stopped to get a cup of coffee and headed to Hotch's office. Hotch sat down behind his desk, and after closing the door, JJ sat down across from him.

"What are we going to do, Aaron? This is going to be so hard on her."

"Baby, it'll be okay. I don't know exactly what we are going to do right now but we will figure it out."

"And, what about Derek? He is going to flip shit when he hears this."

"Well, JJ, can you really blame him?"

JJ let out a sigh. "It's not that I don't understand why he is going to flip shit, but you know his temper. Especially when it comes to Penelope."

"I know. I know. We just have to take it one step at a time."

"I'm just so scared. She's my best friend. I don't know what I would do if something ever happened to her," JJ said as she got up and started pacing Hotch's office.

Hotch got up from his desk and walked over to where she was. He place his hands on her shoulders and turned her to face him. He slid his hands down her arms and held both of her hands in his.

"Hey, listen to me. It will all be okay. We all love Penelope. I know that you are closer to her than any of us are, but this whole team is a family. And around here, we take care of our family. Do you trust me when I tell you that it will be okay?"

JJ smiled up at her fiancee.

"Yes, I trust you. The ten years I have known you and worked with you, there was never a moment that I didn't trust you."

Hotch leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Good." He quickly glanced out his office window and noticed Rossi, Reid, Erin and Emily walking in. "Let's head on down to the round table. The others are already here. We're just waiting on Derek and Penelope now."

* * *

><p>"Hey everybody. Thanks for coming in," Hotch said as he and JJ walked into the round table room where the four others were already sitting.<p>

"What's going on, Hotch?" Emily asked her friend and boss.

"We'll inform everybody once Derek and Penelope get here," JJ answered for her fiance.

"Then go ahead. We're already here," came the voice of Derek Morgan.

Derek sat down beside Erin and Penelope sat down beside him. Everyone waited patiently for Hotch and/or JJ to tell them what was going on.

"Sorry for having to call everyone in tonight. I know we all were looking forward to having the weekend off," Hotch started. "But, I am afraid we have some bad news."

"Why did you look at me why you said that, sir? I know I am not a profiler but I am guessing that there is a reason you looked directly at me when you said you got some bad new?" Penelope asked.

"Yeah, because this effects you, Penelope," Hotch said as gently as he could.

"What's going on, man?" Derek asked.

"Well, do you remember a few months back when we worked the case that the Unsub was kidnapping women, raping and torturing them in Nevada?" asked JJ.

"How could we not. He tried to kill Kitten. Vincent Shaw," Rossi said with disgust in his voice.

"What does he have to do with anything, Jayje? Derek killed the bastard," Emily said.

"That's what I am getting at. Well, turns out that Vincent Shaw had a younger brother. Vincent hadn't spoken to him in almost 20 years. His name is Garrett Shaw. Well, Garrett just recently found out what happened with Vincent about a couple weeks the case was closed."

"How come he didn't find out right away? Didn't their mother tell him after he was killed?" asked Erin.

"Not exactly. Not until he got out of prison," Hotch said.

"Prison? What was he in for?" questioned Reid.

"Bank robbery," Hotch said.

"I'm confused. I still don't understand what this has to do with Penelope," Derek spoke up.

"That's the thing. Vincent's brother, Garrett, was in Tennessee when he robbed a bank. So, he served his time in a prison in Tennessee."

When JJ said Tennessee, Penelope instantly felt sick to her stomach. She didn't say anything but she had a feeling she knew where this was headed. She held Derek's hand and let JJ continued.

"While in there, apparently Garrett got really close to Donald. Since getting out, he has been going to visit Donald. Well, we got a call from your friend Micah, Pen. He said he tried to call you but he couldn't get a hold of you. Anyway, someone told him that Donald said that he sent Garrett to come find you and finish what he couldn't."

"Wait! You're telling me this mother fucker sent someone to try and kill Penelope!" Derek roared, fist hitting the table.

Hotch and JJ just nodded. Usually, Hotch would get onto the younger agent for his temper and his outburst. However, he knew if it was JJ in Penelope's situation, he would be acting the same way.

"How did Micah get this information?" asked Penelope quietly.

"One of the prison guards overheard Donald talking to one of the inmates," JJ answered her.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me?! First that son-of-a-bitch comes after her and now he pulls this shit?! I swear to God, Hotch, you better find this fucker before I do. If you don't, I promise you I will kill him and I don't give two shits about the consequences," Derek said, looking Erin in the eyes when he said the last part.

Derek paced the floor of the round table room. Penelope sat where she was, looking down at her hands in her lap. Everyone else looked around the room at each other, all thinking the same thing.

_Derek's Pissed! _

"Morgan, just try to calm down. I know that you're pissed off and you're worried about Penelope. We will catch this guy and we'll make sure nothing happens to Penelope."

Holding up his hand, Derek nearly shouted, "Don't tell me what to do and don't tell me you don't understand what I am going through. Because, Hotch, you don't have a damn clue."

Hotch walked over to Derek and got in face. "**_I_ **don't know what you're going through! I'm pretty sure I do know what you're going through! Don't you remember that I was on the fucking phone with my wife when FOYET SHOT HER IN THE FUCKING HEAD?! DO YOU FUCKING REMEMBER, MORGAN! BECAUSE, I DO! DON'T TELL ME THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. BECAUSE, I'M PRETTY SURE OUT OF ANYONE IN THE DAMN ROOM, I FUCKING UNDERSTAND MORE THAN ANY OF THEM!"

There was a moment of silence in the room. The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. JJ and Penelope stood between Morgan and Hotch. Derek rubbed his hands over his hands and down his face and Hotch let out a sigh.

"Look, Hotch, man. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to set you off like that or seem to be so insensitive. None of us could forget what you went through with Foyet. We all heard the conversation on the phone and heard what happened. I'm just- I'm just sorry."

"It's okay. Just realize that we all are going to do what we can to help find this guy. I know it doesn't compare to you, but we all love Penelope, too," Hotch said, throwing one of his rare smiles in Penelope direction.

"I love all you guys, too."

"We know you do, Kitten. Now, if everyone is done throwing their temper tantrums, what do you say we get to work? The best way to do this is to treat this as if this is any other case. So, let's look at what we know. Garrett was in prison for robbing a bank. Nothing too serious, but serious enough to get him some pretty good time. He became friends with Donald. When Garrett got out, he continued to have a close relationship with Donald and Donald put him up to coming to find Penelope. A guard over heard the conversation,told Micah and that is pretty much it. The question is, why would Garrett feel the need to come after Penelope if he has never met her?" Rossi asked.

Hotch smiled at the older agent. Always the one to stay calm, cool and collected. Thank God for him because if the team didn't have him, as much as he hated to admit it, the team probably would have fallen apart a long time ago.

"Well, probably because he blames me for his brother's death. I mean, if he hadn't of grabbed me and tried to kill me, then he would have no reason to do what Donald asked and come after me," Penelope said.

Everyone around the room looked at her with surprised looks on their faces.

"What?" Penelope asked, suddenly feeling self conscience.

"And you say that you're not a profiler, PG," said Emily, smiling at her best friend.

"Well, after being around them all the time, you pick up a thing or two," she smiled back.

"Okay, so we have the why, now we just need to figure out the where, when and how," Derek said.

"That's going to be the difficult part," Rossi said. "Do you two know what he looks like?"

"No. Penelope's friend Micah is supposed to send us a picture of him but we haven't got it yet."

"So what do we do now until we figure out the where, when and how?" Penelope asked.

"Until we get a lead on the case, we wait," Hotch said. "Erin, if possible, I would like to make it where we get no other cases until we have Garrett Shaw in custody and Penelope is safe."

"Consider it done, Aaron. I want Penelope safe as much as you do," the older woman smiled at the BAU Technical Analyst.

Penelope smiled back at her. She loved everyone around her. This was her family and her best friends and she couldn't ask for better.


	15. Chapter 15

They all knew that this was going to be a tough "case" for them. It always was when it was personal. Hotch ordered everyone home, just for the night, to make sure they all got plenty of rest. However, he knew it was unlikely that any of them would sleep well that night. Especially Penelope. Their technical analyst, the light of their team, just couldn't catch a break. Since joining the team nearly ten years ago, Hotch grew fond of the bubbly blonde, and that was putting it mildly. He looked at Penelope as more than a co-worker, he looked at her as a friend and family. Because, that's exactly what this team was, a family. No matter how bad the case, no matter how bad personal issues got, they were always there for one another. If one member of the team went through anything, they went through it all together. And, damnit, if someone came after one of them, they came after and dealt with them all. Hotch would make sure that Garrett Shaw was found and he would make sure the bastard spent the rest of his life where he belonged behind bars.

Hotch and JJ were in the car on the way to their house. It was a drive which was usually full of jokes and laughter, flirting and smiles. This time it was completely silent. They were both lost in thought. They were worried about Penelope, and how she was going to handle this. They got "lucky" with Donald, being able to arrest him pretty easily. But, they both had a feeling that arresting Garrett would be a little bit more difficult. If Donald was truly behind this, he probably made sure to think the plan through. Detail for detail. And, if their guts were right, this man was going to be a challenge.

"Are you okay?" JJ asked silently, reaching over to lace her fingers in Hotch's free hand.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just thinking."

"About what?"

"The same thing you are," he said, throwing a sideways glance over to his fiancee.

The care fell silent again for just a moment before JJ asked, "Is Pen going to be okay?"

Hotch looked over at JJ when he stopped at a red light.

"I hope so. I have a feeling that we're about to go down a long and tough road with this Garrett Shaw. But, we'll do everything we can to make sure we find him and nothing happens to her. Plus, Derek is going to be with her everyday until we do. All I can say is may God have mercy on this man's soul if he tries or does do anything to Penelope. Because, God knows that there will be nothing and no one to stop Derek from killing him."

The light turned green and Hotch lightly pressed the gas petal. 10 minutes later Hotch and JJ pulled into their driveway.

* * *

><p>"Are you alright, Em?" Spencer Reid asked his girlfriend as they cuddled on their couch. Reid had his arms wrapped around her as she had her legs drawn up onto the couch and her head resting against his chest. She let out a sigh before she answered.<p>

"Yeah, I'm just so worried about Penelope. And, I'm already so stressed about this 'case'".

"What concerns you the most?"

"That this time, we won't be able to stop Pen from getting hurt," she said in a whisper.

"We will. We're not going to let anything to happen to her. She is going to be fine."

"How can you be so sure."

"Because, we're a family and family always protects family. We survived Foyet together, we all survived Battle, we all survived Doyle, especially once you came back and we all survived after Maeve. We're a team of survivors. We're always there for each other and always have each other's back. That's never going to change, Em. We'll get through this, just like we got through everything else together."

Emily looked at her boyfriend awestruck. Yes, he could be nerdy at times but she didn't care. Dr. Reid was underestimated by a lot of people. He was smart, hell he was a certified genius. He was funny. He never failed to make Emily laugh when she needed it the most. ANd, his body. God, did this man have a body. No, he was no Derek Morgan and he didn't wear tight fitting clothes to show it off, but believe you me, you could shred cheese on his abs.

"Thank you, Spence."

"For what?"

"For always making me feel better," she said, and then raised up slightly to kiss him. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby. Now, let's go try to get some sleep."

Reid stood up first and took Emily's hand to lea her to bed. They slept all night, but still woke up tired for it was completely restless.

* * *

><p>"What are you thinking about, Mama?" asked Derek as he walked into the living room from the kitchen with two glasses and a bottle of wine.<p>

"Do you really have to ask, handsome?" she asked, looking up from her spot on the couch.

Derek sat the wine and glasses down on the coffee table before kneeling down in front of Penelope. His heart broke in a thousand pieces when he saw the tears escape her eyes and he saw the terror in them. He places his hands gently on the side of her face and wiped away the tears with the pad of his thumbs. \

"Please, don't cry, baby girl. I hate seeing you cry."

"I can't help it," she whispered through her tears. "I am just so scared. I just want this all to be over with."

"I know you're scared, baby. But, you don't have to be. There is nothing to be afraid of as long as I am around and trust me, I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon. We're going to find this man and we're going to send him back to prison. I won't let him hurt you."

"Derek, you shouldn't make promises that you cannot keep. I know you want to protect me but you never know what could happen."

"No. Nu-uh. Listen to me, I will not let him hurt you. Simple as that. It isn't just _wanting _to protect you, it's I a_m _going to protect you. Simple as that."

"Derek, I.."

"No, Mama. No arguments."

"But, I.."

"Listen, motormouth. Answer this one question for me.. Do you trust me?"

"Hot stuff, there is no one else in this world that I trust more than you."

"Then, please stop worrying. Because, I promise, I won't let anything happen to you."

Penelope nodded and leaned forward to give Derek a kiss.

"Now, how about some wine and a couple movies before bed, sweetness?"

"Sounds like a plan, hot stuff. You pick the movies tonight."

A few glasses of wine and a movie and a half later, both Derek and Penelope were sound asleep on the couch. Penelope was on the inside, laying with her head on Derek's chest. They had a throw blanket on them and where holding onto each other as if they were each other's life support. But, until Garrett Shaw was found, they were. Derek could imagine his life without his baby girl and she could imagine her life without her hot stuff. As long as they had each other, they knew they would be okay.


	16. Chapter 16

The next day, the whole team arrived at the BAU earlier than usual. They didn't have to be there until 8 but nobody could sleep so they all just decided to go into work and were all there no later than 6 that morning. Derek, Emily, JJ and Reid all sat at their desks working on paperwork just to pass some time. Rossi was in Hotch's office with him discussing Garrett Shaw and Penelope was in her _"lair" _running some updates on her computers while helping team C with some searches for a case they were working in Maryland.

"Are you alright, Morgan?" Reid asked as he watched Derek let out a loud sigh and run his hands over his head to the back of his neck.

"Yeah, kid. I'm fine. Just worried about Penelope."

"We all are Derek. How did she do last night once you two got home?" Emily asked.

"She was alright at first. But, then she just kinda broke down. She's terrified. I calmed her down for a little bit but once we went to sleep, that was it. She kept having nightmares. I swear, she has already been through enough shit. Why can't people just leave her the fuck alone?"

"Derek, we will find Garrett. Everything will be okay," JJ said, gently placing a hand on Derek's shoulder.

"I sure hope so, JJ. I can't imagine what my life would be without her. I almost lost her once because of Battle, and she wasn't even mine, yet. Now, that I have her, I don't want to lose her."

"Awe, Sug. I've always been yours and trust me. You're not going to lose me," came the voice of Penelope Garcia.

Everyone turned around and saw Penelope standing there with two fresh cups of coffee in her hands. She walked over, sat a cup down on Derek's desk, and quickly kissed him on the lips.

"Thanks, Mama," Derek smiled up at his girlfriend, thanking her for the coffee.

"Hey, Pen. How are you doing?" Emily asked her best friend.

"I'm doing alright, Em."

"You know you don't have to lie to us, Pen. You can tell us the truth," JJ said gently.

"I know. But, I promise. I'm fine. I had a rough night last night and I am slightly on edge. But, as long as I have all my superheroes around to keep me safe, I know I am okay."

"Good morning everyone," came the voice of Erin Strauss.

A round of "good mornings" and "morning m'ams" could be heard among the group.

"Look, I hate to do this to you all, but I need to see everyone at the round table."

"May I ask why, Erin?" asked Emily.

"I'll tell you as soon as I get in there. I'm just going to get Aaron and Dave."

Everyone just nodded and headed to the round table room while Erin walked towards Hotch's office.

Not even five minutes later, Erin, Hotch and Rossi walked into the room where everyone was already sitting. Nobody said a word. They all just looked up silently at Strauss with looks of curiosity on their faces.

"Listen everyone. I'm going to make this short and sweet and not beat around the bush. You all have a case to go on."

"What do you mean we have a case to go on? We're already working a case trying to find someone who is trying to kill Penelope," Hotch spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but this is out of my hands. James Comey has stepped in and has given me no choice but to give it to you."

Penelope looked over at Derek, fear written all over her face. What was she going to do without them here? What was she going to do without _him_ here? Derek gave her hand a gentle squeeze and winked at her to let her know that everything was going to be okay. But, to be truthful, he didn't feel that way on the inside at all. On the outside, his physical appearance showed that he was calm and collected. He wasn't worried about going on a case and he wasn't mad at all.

However, inside he was freaking out and was extremely pissed off. What would happen to Penelope if the team left on this case? There was some psychopath stalking her and wanting to kill her and as soon as the team left, he knew something bad would happen. And, for Christ's sake, did the damn director of the FBI not give a damn about one o his employees? Did he not care that Penelope's life was in danger? Derek didn't give a rat's happy ass. Fuck the director, fuck the consequences. There was not a chance in hell he was leaving Penelope. He didn't give a damn if he lost his job or not. There was nothing in the world more important to him than his baby girl, his God-given solace.

"Derek, Penelope, you can wipe those looks of worry off your faces. You all can," Erin said looking around the room. "I talked to James, and I promise he isn't completely heartless. He knows Penelope isn't safe if any of you, especially Derek, are gone and she is left here by herself. So, he agreed to let her accompany you on any and all cases you have to do. He isn't going to give you too much, but he doesn't want the BAU to stop doing their jobs just because one of them is in dangers. Team C will be taking over until you get back."

Everyone nodded their head in understanding, glad that Penelope would be going with them.

"So, where are we going, m'am?" Penelope asked.

"Knoxville, Tennessee."

Penelope's heart sank to her stomach. Out of all the damn 50 fucking states in this country, it just had to be Tennessee!

**A/N: Okay, so I have no idea what my muse is doing or where it is taking me, but we'll just go with it. I'll try to put up another chapter later tonight or tomorrow. xoxox - katieblackusa **


	17. Chapter 17

**Later That Day... ****_Knoxville, TN - Outside of the Knoxville Police Department_**

"Okay everyone, listen up. As soon as we introduce ourselves, we need to get straight to work. Reid, I want you to go ahead and start working on a geographical profile. Look at where all the girls live, went missing and where the three that have been killed showed up. See what you can figure out and let me know as soon as possible. JJ, I want you to stay back and help Reid. You can start on the victomology. See if you can find any similarities besides the girls ages and hair color. I know it's early to start those both, but I want to be on top of this case so we can get back to Virginia as soon as we can. Dave and Emily, you two go to the latest victim's house and talk to her parents. According to school records, she doesn't live on campus so I am assuming that's who she lives with. Find whatever you can on her. I want to know every detail of her personal life. Who she hangs out with, what are the places she usually goes to, what some of her hobbies are and anything else you can find. Penelope, I want you to see if any of them, and I am sure they do, have any social media accounts. I want you to also see if any of the victims know each other somehow. I want you to try and see if there are any connections between them. I don't care if you notice two of the girls have the same shirt in different colors or the same color, if you find it I want you to let me know. Morgan, you and I will visit both sites where the bodies have turned up to see if we can find anything," Hotch told his team.

Everyone just nodded in understanding. They made their way inside the police station and made introductions. Hotch extended his hand to the chief of police and then introduced the team.

"PG-13! Is that you?"

Penelope froze. She knew exactly who it was. She turned around and a huge smile formed on her face.

"Micah?!"

"I thought that was you, white girl," Micah said walking over to her and wrapping her into a huge hug. "What are you doing here?"

"Work," she said simply. "Speaking of which, Micah, let me introduce you to the team. This is Boss Man, SSA Aaron Hotchner. This is SSA David Rossi, SSA Emily Prentiss, Dr. Spencer Reid, our Section Unit Chief Erin Strauss, and SSA Jennifer Jareau," she said, pointing to each member of the team. Micah reached out and shook all of their hands with a friendly nod.

"And, let me guess. This must be the infamous SSA Derek Morgan," Micah said, extending his hand for Derek to shake.

"Sure is!" Penelope said excitedly.

'So, you're the one who replaced me, huh?" Micah joked with a smile.

"Replaced?" Derek asked, looking at Penelope.

"Let's just say that Micah here is sort of like the Derek Morgan of my past."

"So, you two dated?" Reid asked, making Micah and Penelope laugh, while Derek was honestly glad he asked so he would know. He knew Penelope would stay loyal to him and she would never do anything to hurt him. But, he just had to know if there was ever anything between the two.

"No, Reid. Micah here was my best friend. It's like I told you the night he called and told me Donald has escaped. We grew up together and Micah here always had my back..."

"And you always had mine," he said, finishing her sentence.

"You bet. Anyways, this guy right here is like a brother to me. But, before I met Derek, I never knew anyone who was so protective of me."

"Thanks for taking care of my gir- I mean Penelope here. I better get used to not calling you my girl because your boyfriend looks like he would snap my neck in a millisecond," Micah joked.

"Whatever, Micah. Anyway, what are you doing here? Are you working today?"

"Sure am. So, looks like you're stuck with me."

"How will I ever get by? But, sorry. I got to get to work. I got information to look up for Boss Man."

"We'll meet back here around 9 tonight and no later. Mr. Rivers, it was really nice to meet you," Hotch said.

"Nice to meet you too, Agent Hotchner."

A round of "nice to meet yous" could be heard throughout the group as everyone dispersed to where they were needed. Before walking towards the doors with the others, Derek turned towards Penelope and gave her a quick kiss.

"Call me if you need me, baby girl," he said.

"Sure thing, hot stuff. Call me when you are in need of assistance."

Derek knew Penelope was trying to sound cheerful but he heard the fear in her voice.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked, taking both of her hands in his and looking her in the eyes.

"I'l be fine, handsome. I promise I'll call if I need you."

Derek looked at her for a moment trying decide what to do. He then nodded and kissed her one more time. He then looked over at Micah and said, "look out for our girl, would ya? Make sure she is okay."

"Trust me man, she is perfectly safe here. I won;t let a damn thing happen to her. Mark me words, if she isn't with you, then there isn't a safer place in the world than with me."

"Thanks man."

"Morgan, let's go. You can play kissy face with Penelope later," Hotch hollered with a smile on his face, getting a chuckle from the three people standing.

"Sorry, baby. I got to go."

He then quickly left Penelope with Micah and followed Hotch out to the SUV. Before the doors even closed behind him, he started to miss her. It was ridiculous how his body reacted as soon as she was out of his site. Derek loved her and there was no question about it. He prayed that they would solve this case quick. He wanted to get back to Virginia so they could find the bastard that was trying to hurt her so they could start their life together. But, unbeknownst to him, Penelope or the BAU team, Garrett Shaw already found them.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Earlier that day : Back in Virginia while the team was on the jet - <em>**

Garrett Shaw made sure nobody could hear him. He listened carefully to the other man on the phone.

"So, you're telling me that I came all the way to Virginia for nothing and I have to come back to Tennessee?!"

"That's exactly what I am telling you, you moron. Get your ass here and finish the damn job. I want that bitch dead."

"Donald, why don't I just wait here until they get back? There is no point in me coming back to Knoxville."

"NO! You won't wait there. You will get your ass back here and do your damn job. What part of 'I want that bitch dead' do you not understand?" Donald Hawkins asked.

"I understand, Donald. I do. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Good! And, you better make sure she dies. Because of that little whore, I am sitting on death row. I wan't her to pay for what she did."

"Got it sir. I'm leaving right now."

Garrett Shaw quickly hung up the phone. He started throwing his belongings that he had brought with him, into his bag. He ran downstairs and checked out. Right now, he was still on Donald's good side and he was planning on keeping it that way.

_"Tennessee, here I come," _he thought to himself and then hit the gas pedal on his car.

It was going to be a long day for him... and Penelope Garcia. She just didn't know it yet.


	18. Chapter 18

**8:46 P.M.**

He stood across the street making sure he could see her at all times. There was no way she was going to get away from him. He was tired from driving 8 hours and he was agitated because his boss wouldn't stop calling him and...

_"Wait a minute. If he is in prison, how the hell is he able to call me so much?" _the man asked himself. He quickly shook the thought out of his head as he saw the blonde woman get up from behind her computer. He smiled as he watched her walk out of the building and head towards the coffee shop which was in eye sight from where he stood but was still a good three blocks away.

He stayed on his side of the street, following her with his eyes. Once she entered the coffee shop, he quickly crossed the street and followed her in. To his surprise, it was completely empty. They were the only two there. She stood at the counter looking at the pies and cakes while waiting for barista. An evil smile came to his face. He looked around one last time to make sure nobody was around to walk in on them. He slowly pulled a gun out from his back and crept up on her.

"If you come with me without fighting, I won't kill you here," he said as he placed the gun to her lower back and put his hand over her mouth.

All Penelope could do was nod. She didn't want to argue with the man or try to fight him for the fear of what he might do took over her body.

_"This is why I didn't want to come to Tennessee!" _she shouted in her head.

They slowly turned around from the counter and headed towards the door. He kept the gun held at her back. He walked her back to the spot where he stood all day watching her and opened a car door. He pushed her in and quickly locked the door. Penelope just let the tears fall. She looked at her watch. Derek and the team weren't supposed to be back for another 14 minutes. Micah was out on a domestic violence call so who knew when he would be back? She was scared. That's all there was to it. She was scared of the man that was now driving, she was scared of being alone, she was scared of dying. But, more than anything else, Penelope was scared of never seeing Derek again.

She knew that Derek would do everything in his power to find her once he realize she was gone. But, what state would he find her in when he did? Alive? Dead? Somewhere in between? And, the whole team would do whatever they could do, too. She just wished that they would find her now. Just then, she felt something in her bra vibrate.

_"My phone!" _

Penelope wanted to grab it right then, but knew if she did, it would make her situation worse. She had to wait. If she wanted a chance to survive this and make sure she had a chance, she had to wait. Wait until they got to wherever they were going. And, then, once she was left alone, IF she was left alone, she would call Derek. She slowly reached into her bra and held the side button down to power it off. She had checked her phone before she left the police department for the coffee shop and knew she had a full battery. But, she didn't know how long it would be until she got to use her phone and she wanted her battery to last.

_"Damn. Why did the police station's coffee pot have to be broken?"_

Penelope didn't dare to move, she didn't dare make a sound. She was terrified to even breath out of fear of whatever she would do might set the man off. She knew without any doubts, that the man driving the car, her kidnapper and her... God, she could barely think it... her potential murderer was Garrett Shaw. She prayed silently. She prayed that her team would find her, that **Derek** would find her. She prayed that if they did, she would still be alive. All she could do was pray. She was so lost in prayer that she didn't realize that the care stopped moving until the back seat car door opened.

"Get out," the man said.

Penelope didn't hesitate. She did as he told her, when he told her. He grabbed her by the arm and forcefully pulled her towards a house. Penelope had to admit that of she wasn't in the situation that she was in and was just someone driving down the street passing by, she would find it to be a beautiful home. It was a big house, Georgian Style. It was brick. There were trees all around and the setup was truly beautiful. But, in her predicament, she didn't notice any of it. All she could concentrate on was focusing on her surroundings so if she had the chance to call Derek, she could tell him details of where she was at. She just prayed, once again, that he would find her. Praying again, that she would be able to call him.

* * *

><p><strong>9:20 PM - Back at the Police Station<strong>

"I wonder what is taking Pen so long?" JJ asked.

The chief of police told them that she had gone for coffee earlier. He could see the fear on their faces. He reassured them that the coffee shop was usually busy. How was he supposed to know that it wasn't on this once particular night?

"I don't know. If I had to guess, she got side tracked by some clothing store and is shopping around," Hotch said. "If this wasn't Penelope we are talking about, I would be pissed. But, she is so damn good at her job, I can't help but let her get away with whatever she wants to do."

The team laughed at his remark.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring._

"Well, speak of the devil. That's her calling now," Derek told the team.

"Hey, baby girl. Where are you? The team was getting wor-"

"Derek?" Penelope asked in a hush tone.

"Why are you whispering, sweetness?"

"Derek, he found me."

Chills ran up and down Derek's spine and his heart sunk to his stomach?

"Who found you baby? Where are you?"

The team looked at Derek with curious looks on their faces.

"Garrett," she said shortly.

"Baby, where are you?" he asked again.

"When I was in the coffee shop," she started to explain, her voice still low as a whisper, "he came up behind me and put a gun to my back. He has me, Derek."

He could hear the fear in her voice. He could almost hear the tears running down her cheeks.

"Derek, I'm in some house. It's some Georgian Style home and there's trees everywhere. I'm in a basement. He says he is going to kill me."

Derek's heart completely stopped beating. The warm blood that once ran through his veins now ran ice cold. The motherfucker has his baby girl and he threatened her. He is terrifying her. Nobody messes with Derek's baby girl and lived to see another day. He swore to himself, that if given the chance, he would GLADLY destroy this son of a bitch. He would end him. He would torture him so damn bad that it would make Hell look like paradise. Garrett Shaw messed with the wrong woman and Derek Morgan vowed to make sure he knew it.

"Baby, just stay on the line. I'm going to hook the phone up to the machine so we can track where you are, okay?"

"Okay. But, Derek, I have to put the phone down. I hear him coming and I don't want him to catch me."

"That's fine, baby. Just know that I'm proud of you and please know that I am coming and I will save you," Derek told Penelope as he held up a piece of paper that said:

_**Get someone who can track Pen's phone! **_

"I love you, handsome."

"I love you too, baby. Now put the phone down so he doesn't know you have it."

* * *

><p>Penelope did as Derek said. She laid her phone down in a corner, face down, and put her jacket over it so the light from the screen couldn't be seen. She heard the door at the tops of the steps open and then quickly shut. His feet falling on the stairs as he walked down them sounded like thunder. He heart pounded in her chest as if it was about to bust out of her sternum and through her chest. She felt the beads of sweat roll down her neck. She tried to hold back the tears from falling out of her eyes. Her body felt like ice as she froze, when the man came to stand in front of her. She sent up a silent prayer to God for help and a silent 'I love you' to Derek, hoping that he could sense what she was saying to him somehow. The only comfort was know that Derek was on the line and him and the team were doing everything in their power to find her. And she knew that they would. The only question was... would she be alive when they did?<p> 


	19. Chapter 19

The black SUVs raced down the streets of Knoxville, Tennessee with their lights flashing and sirens blaring. Derek sat in the passenger seat of the SUV that was currently being driven by Hotch. He knew Hotch was going as fast as he could, but that didn't stop Derek from wishing that he would go faster. He wanted to get to Penelope.. No! He **NEEDED** to get to Penelope. He kept the cell phone turned on, along with the speaker, so they all would know what was going on. His heart broke into a million pieces over and over every time he heard her let out a sob. He could tell she was trying her hardest not to cry, trying to not show him any fear. The thought of her trying to be so brave made his heart smile, even just a little bit. Damn, if there was ever any question before if he loved this woman, there was no questions now. He had fallen in love with his best friend. Hard core, head over heels, grand slam, over the fence to the moon in love with her. And there was not a chance in hell he was going to lose her. He couldn't lose her. There was no possibility that he could continue living if, God forbid, she didn't make it out of this alive.

Derek patted his pocket of his jacket to make sure he still had the small box he purchased not long before the left for Knoxville. He smiled as he pictured what it would look like on her left hand.

_"Hold on, baby girl. I'm on my way." _

He cringed at some of the things he heard Garrett say to Penelope. He wished more than anything that he was there with her, was there protecting her. He prayed to God, which he hadn't done since Penelope was shot, that He would keep her safe. He prayed that He would give her the strength to keep fighting until he could get there and fight FOR her.

_"Please, God, watch over my baby girl. Please let us get to her in time before this man can do anything else to her. I can't lose her. Please, I'm begging you God, don't take my angel away from me."_

At this point, nobody noticed that the phone connection had be cut off. Penelope's phone had died.

Two SUV's and 8 police cars pulled into a long drive and came to a halt in front of a Georgia Style house. They all quickly got out of their vehicles as they all heard glass shattered. They all looked up and started running in the direction, shocked at what they saw.

* * *

><p><strong>Inside a House... <strong>

Penelope looked up in fear at Garrett Shaw. A man of about 6' 2'', piercing blue eyes and jet black hair. If he wasn't a complete psychopath, anyone would find him pretty handsome. However, this man had kidnapped her and this man was going to kill her. Truthfully, this isn't someone she would consider a man. He was a monster. She watched as he slowly squatted down in front of her and held her face to force her to make eye contact.

"Hi, Penelope."

She didn't say a word.

"I said, 'hi, Penelope'," he said a little harsher.

"H-hi," she stuttered.

"Do you know who I am?"

All Penelope could do was nod.

"What's my name?"

"G-g-Garrett."

"Garrett what?"

"Shaw," Penelope choked as she tried to force back the tears. She refused to cry in front of this man. She thought back to when Foyet had found Jack and Haylie. She remembers hearing the conversation between her and Hotch before that sick bastard murdered her.

_"Show him no weakness," _he had told. And, that is what Penelope was trying to do. She was trying to show Garrett Shaw no weakness. If she was going to die, here and tonight, then she wanted to believe that the person who murdered her wouldn't be able to enjoy watching her tremble in fear.

"You're pretty," Shaw said as he gently ran a hand down her face. He looked at her while he waited for her to say something.

"Didn't you hear me? I said that you were pretty. You're suppose to say thank you when someone gives you a compliment."

"Thank you," she said barely above a whisper.

"What was that? I didn't hear you."

"Tha-Thank you," she sobbed. She quickly pulled her self together though.

_Show him no weakness. _

Before Penelope could react, Garrett Shaw had forced his lips onto hers. She tried to push him away but he overpowered her. He pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her. He held her hands above her head with one hand while groping her breast with the other. She squirmed beneath him but it just made things worse. He slapped her in the face with the hand that he used to grope her with. She was so afraid and so distracted trying to get him off her, she didn't hear the vehicle's pull up outside.

Somehow she got one of her hands released from his grip. She reached around until he hand landed on a cold medal object. _A weight. _Even though it was only a small one, it weighed only five pounds, it was still heavy enough to hurt him and light enough for her to pick it up. She quickly brought it down and hit him on the back of the head. He was out cold. She tried to slow her breathing. She pushed his limp body off of her and quickly stood up. Penelope spotted the stairs and headed towards them.

As soon as she reached the top step she spotted the front door. And, she be damned, it was bolted locked... from the outside. To her left was a living room with a giant window. She could see headlights and police lights and felt the relive wash over her.

_Derek. He's here. _

Penelope went towards the window and tried to open it, but it was locked too.

_"Damn, this asshole thought of everything." _

Quickly looking around the room, she spotted fire place poker. She ran to pick it up and raced back to the window when she heard someone walking up the basement steps.

_"Shit!" _

"I'm going to find you! Where are you, stupid bitch?!" she heard Garrett Shaw yell.

Penelope raised the poker up and swung, shattering glass everywhere inside and outside of the house. She pulled the curtains back and placed one leg outside the window.

"Peek-a-boo, blondie."

Penelope's head snapped to the right. There stood one very pissed off Garrett. He was holding a hand to the back of his head and she could see the blood trailing down his arm.

Penelope quickly threw her other leg over the window pane and took off running. She forgot about seeing the police lights and forgetting that she knew Derek and her team were out there. She just ran.

But, she stopped in her tracks when she heard his voice. The voice that always made everything bad in the world disappear.

"PENELOPE!"

She turned around and saw Derek running towards her with the team behind him. He was quickly holstering his gun while the others kept their's drawn.

"Derek," was all she could get out as he reached her and he pulled her tightly to his chest.

"Oh, thank God you're okay, baby. Did he hurt you? Did he do anything to you?" he asked as he gently pulled her away from his body but still keeping her in close contact with himself.

"No. He tried but I got away."

"What did he try to do, Kitten?" came the gentle voice of David Rossi.

"He tried to.. he tried to rape me." When she spoke, she wasn't crying. It was in a hushed whisper.

"Son of a bitch," muttered Derek.

"How did you get away, Pen?" Emily asked her best friend.

"I hit him on the head and knocked him out. I pushed him off of me and ran up stairs. The front door is bolted shut from the outside. I saw the window but it was locked to so I had to break it. When I started to climb out I saw him and that's when I jumped the rest of the way out and started running. "

"So, he is awake? He's still in the house?" Hotch asked.

Penelope just nodded her head which was once again pressed to Derek's chest.

"Okay, Derek, you stay here with Penelope. Get her in the SUV. The rest of us will search the house and try to find Shaw."

"No need to go in, Agents. I'm right here."

The team quickly turned around and saw Garrett Shaw standing on the front porch of the house. In his right hand, he held a gun, not pointed at anyone in particular.

Derek quickly moved in front of Penelope to shield her with his body and drew his gun out along with the team who still had their's.

"Put the gun down, Garrett. You're surrounded and there is no way out of this," Rossi said.

"You don't think I know that, Agent Rossi? I'm not stupid. I know my fate is written the same as my brothers'," he said as he put the gun to he temple.

"It doesn't have to be. You don't have to die," Reid spoke up.

"I don't have to die? Bullshit. I'd rather die then spend the rest of my life in prison! Especially if I have to tell Donald that that bitch isn't dead yet."

Derek let out a growl only loud enough for him and Penelope to hear.

"Put the gun down, now! " Derek yelled.

"Or what? Are you going to kill me like you killed my brother?"

"You're brother got what he deserved," said Derek.

Garrett's hand shook with anger as his eyes narrowed.

"Morgan, calm down, now" Hotch said. Derek was his friend and Hotch understood his anger. But, right now, Hotch had to play the boss card or this situation was going to end up much worse than what it already was. "And, that's an order."

Hotch turned his gaze back to the UnSub and ordered him once again to put the weapon down. But, before he could finish the sentence a gun shot was heard and there was silence. Garrett Shaw dropped to the ground as blood poured out of his head.

He had shot himself.

**TBC... **


	20. Chapter 20

The team finally made it onto the jet. To say it was a long night was an understatement. It was now almost 4:00 in the morning and they all just wanted some rest. They were planning on staying at the hotel they had checked into when they first arrived in Knoxville, but after everything played out with Garrett Shaw the way it did, they wanted out of Tennessee as soon as they possibly could.

As they all settled into their seats on the jet, they all let out a sigh. A sigh of relief that they were going home. A sigh of relief that they could finally get some rest. A sigh of relief that Penelope could finally quit looking over her shoulder everywhere that she went and that she was safe. Usually, no matter the case, the team hated seeing someone die. Even the UnSub. They would rather see them live and go to prison for the rest of their lives for the terror they place upon their victims. No matter how long they have done this job, nobody people they were forced to use their guns on, it never got easier. However, tonight, they were glad to see the UnSub drop dead. They had no sympathy for Garrett Shaw and they were happy that the world was rid of him.

"Are you okay, baby girl?" Derek asked Penelope as she laid curled up in his arms on the couch at the front of the jet. The other members of the team were already sounds asleep so they both spoke in whispers.

"Right now I am. I'm just relived it is all over and we're going home. I'm happy because I know I am safe now because neither Donald or Garrett can hurt me. And, I'm so tired. I just want to sleep."

"Then close those pretty eyes and rest."

"What if I have a nightmare?"

The tone of voice she used when she asked him that simple question made Derek's heart sink to his stomach. She sounded so pitiful, almost as if she were a child. Derek rubbed his hand gently up and down her arm and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"I'll be right here, baby. You're okay. Just try to get some rest. If you have a nightmare then I promise I will be here when you wake up."

There was silence between them for a moment while they both processed their thoughts.

"I love you, handsome."

"I love you too, beautiful. More than you will ever know."

* * *

><p>When Penelope woke up she was no longer on the jet. She took in her surroundings and realized she was in her and Derek's bed.. at home. She smiled as she looked over at the man who was in her opinion the greatest man to ever be born. She would eternally be grateful for everything he has done for her. Since the day he called her Gomez and called her baby girl for the first time, he had always made her smile. He was her best friend and now the love of her life. She was grateful for everyday that she got to wake up beside him. She couldn't imagine there being a better way to wake up, simply because there wasn't a better way. She turned her head slightly to check and see what time it was. Noon. Penelope was surprised she slept so late. As a matter of fact, she was surprised she slept at all. She figured she would have nightmares, but last night was one of the best nights of sleep she had gotten in awhile.<p>

"Good morning, baby girl," she heard Derek's husky voice say.

She turned her head back towards his direction and smiled.

"I'll show you a good morning, hot stuff."

"I was hoping that you would," he chuckled as he rolled over and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"What time did we get home?" Penelope asked.

"About 7 this morning."

"How did I get from the jet to the car and from the car to the house?"

"I carried you."

"You could have woken me up. I can walk you know," she teased with him.

"You were sleeping so good and I didn't want to disturb you. You needed the rest."

"Thank you."

"For what?" he looked at her with a confusion.

"For being so good to me and always being there when I need you. "

"Obviously, I haven't done a good job with being there for you lately," he mumbled, looking away from her.

"Derek, what are you talking about? You're wonderful to me and have always been there for me when I needed you since the day we've met."

"Yeah? Well, if I am then where was I when that son of a bitch pulled a gun on you and kidnapped you? Where was I when you were alone in that house with him? I wasn't with you. So, obviously, I'm not as wonderful as you say I am," he said angrily as he got out of bed and quickly put on a pair of sweatpants.

"Handsome, please don't do that to yourself."

"Do what to my self? I'm not doing anything. I'm just stating the obvious. I wasn't there when you needed me."

Penelope rolled her eyes at his comment. And, _she _was the hardheaded one? Puh-lease! The man standing in front of her was worse than she was. She threw the covers off her and pulled one of his t-shirts on when she got out of bed.

"Derek, look at me," she said gently as she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and turned towards her. She ran her hand down his shoulder to hold his hand.

"You have always been there for me and you were there for me last night. You promised that you would save me and you did. Never doubt or question how amazing I think you are. Even though we're in a relationship now, you will always be my best friend first. We have been through so much in the past 10 years, together and individually, but we have always been there for one another. Please, don't every question how good you are to me. Because, Derek, you are beyond good to me. You are more than I deserve."

"That's not true baby girl. YOU are more than I deserve. The best thing I ever did was meeting you. I love you so much Penelope. Thank you," he said as he placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

"No need to thank me, sugar."

Derek glance at the clock and told Penelope to get showered and dressed.

"I'm taking you out. I figured, if you were up for it we would just spend the day together. You know, lunch, movie, walk in the park and then dinner and some dancing. How does that sound?"

"Sounds perfect my love. I'll go get ready."

Once Penelope made her way to the bathroom to shower, Derek headed downstairs to make a phone call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rossi. Everything is set. She's getting in the shower now. Do you all think you can be over in about 2 hours to start setting everything up."

"Yeah. I'll call the others to let them know. JJ, Erin and Emily got the decorations. Hotch and Reid have the tables and music and I got the food and wine."

"Thanks, man. I really appreciate it."

"No thanks necessary. Just make sure you call one of us before you head back to the house to make sure we're not there or it'll ruin the surprise."

"Sure thing," Derek said, letting out a nervous sigh which Rossi picked up on.

"Derek, there is no need to be nervous. Penelope loves you. There is no way she is going to say no."

"I hope not. I love her so much, Rossi. I know she loves me, I just hope everything is perfect because she deserves nothing less."

"That's a fact," Rossi said letting out a chuckle.

"Well, man. I'm going to hop off her and go get myself ready. Thanks again."

"Oh, and Derek?" Rossi said before Derek could hang up the phone.

"Yeah?"

"You better take care of my kitten. You're my friend and I care about you, but she is like a daughter to me. If you hurt her, I won't hesitate to do worse to you."

"I promise, you don't have to worry about me ever doing anything to hurt her. You got my word."

With that said, the men ended their conversation. An hour and half later, Penelope and Derek were both ready and they headed out to start their day together. Derek completely excited and nervous about what lay ahead later that night and Penelope completely clueless.

**TBC... The next chapter will probably be the last, but you never know where my muse will take me. (: **


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